From the stage to the big screen, the musical adaptation of Rock of Ages was and is loved by many and questioned by others, mostly by the theatre fans that stayed true to their favorite rock 'n roll play.
With an all-star cast, Adam Shankman's movie musical has a lot of hilarious, romantic, and nostalgic scenes with its 1980s-Hollywood backdrop. Whenever there's a film adaptation of a book or a musical, the movie tends to differentiate from its original either slightly or significantly. Some of the differences between the Rock of Ages film and the Broadway musical were noticeable by viewers.
Better: Sherrie Doesn't Do The Stereotypical Hookup
The actual stage musical shows the leading lady, Sherrie, hooking up with the rock-God character, Stacee Jaxx. The hilariousness of the scene is led by their duet cover of the song, "I Wanna Know What Love Is." However, the film didn't follow in the musical's footsteps.
The movie actually has a completely different scenario where Stacee Jaxx hooks up with another woman and Drew wrongfully assumes that the rockstar and his girlfriend slept together. Some fans of the musical pointed out that the film may have done a good deed by defying the expectations of Sherrie's character. The film version conveys that Sherrie isn't willing to do that, no matter how much she worships the rocker. Although there isn't anything wrong with consensual hookups, the film recreated Sherrie to be a little pickier about who she spends time with.
Not: Stacee Jaxx Touches Sherrie Without Consent
The first time Sherrie and Stacee come face to face, the rock star approaches her and touches her breast, leaving Sherrie without knowing how to react.
Sherrie ends up passing out, and it's heavily implied that this happens because she's a big fan of Stacee and can't believe what's happening. Still, there's no excuse for anyone to touch another person inappropriately without consent.
Better: Drew Wasn't Too Traditional
In comparison to the musical character, the film version of Drew is much more modernized and relatable for viewers of all ages.
While the musical ends with the sweet little "happily ever after" for Drew and Sherrie, and they don't really pursue their dreams in the end, the film version of Drew exemplifies a more familiar and relatable person.
Not: Constance Was Just An Accessory For Stacee Jax
Now, it's great that Drew wasn't the one just looking for the traditional family image, but the film version made Stacee into that. Since Stacee falls for Constance, the film ends with her pregnant with their child. While that's romantic and all to some viewers, others strongly felt that this ending impacted Constance's career with the magazine.
By giving her the motherhood finale, Stacee gets to live out his musical career, but what about Constance's life? This is where she, therefore, looks like a simple accessory to Stacee's expectations when he sings "I Wanna Know What Love Is."
Better: Young Adults Go Through Similar Career Issues
The dream-crushing moments for Sherrie and Drew are when they're forced by societal limitations to take on jobs they're not passionate about in order to financially survive. This is exactly where modern viewers relate to the film more than the musical.
While the musical shows the similar career downturns the couple takes, the film provides modern audiences with a relatable image of how difficult it is to achieve career objectives as Sherrie takes on stripping and Drew is tossed into the new wave of boy-band pop.
Not: Fame Was Too Easy To Get
Since theatre fans know the stage musical ends with Sherrie and Drew having a more ordinary lifestyle, the film went against that and twisted their ending with more style.
The musical duo is seen singing with Stacee Jaxx on a huge stage in front of thousands of fans. The clear fame they hit is unrealistic, although heartwarming to watch. Some claim that the stage musical gave a spotlight on realism more than the film in the end because the film glamorized the protagonists' easily attainable fame.
Better: Justice's Character Empowered Female Roles
The owner of the Venus Club, Justice, makes a point to Sherrie in the film that seems more strengthening than in the musical. The stage version shows Sherrie grabbing the stripper job to just earn an income, while the film actually enhances that with what Justice deems positive.
Singing “Any Way You Want It” is Justice’s method of showing Sherrie that she can be “untouchable” and respected more when on the pole. She views it all as a stage and not a means where any of her dancers can be physically mistreated by the male guests they have.
Not: Sherrie Was Encouraged To Be Objectified
Despite how Justice strengthened the female stripper roles, Sherrie’s character in both the musical and the film is still severely objectified.
Despite her becoming a stripper, Sherrie is objectified right from the start of the film, walking into Hollywood with boys whistling at her and Stacee Jaxx abruptly touching her. These are the moments that disturb modern viewers because of how careless and unaware the storyline is of female objectification.
Better: It's More Visually-Appealing On Images Of Hollywood
While a musical allows theatre-goers the chance to imagine more than a film does, most modern viewers favor the actual grand images of locations in general, such as 1980s Hollywood. This movie ensures the entire setting of sunny and picturesque Los Angeles, as everyone automatically thinks of it.
From the Sunset Strip to the Hollywood sign, fans of the film tend to admire the visuals they receive when watching it rather than watching the stage version.
Not: Lonnie & Dennis's Relationship Was Portrayed As A Joke
The fact that two men realizing their romantic feelings for one another was intended as a joke continues to upset modern-day viewers.
Some argue that the stage musical was indeed the one that started the homophobic perspective, but the film basically throws in the two character’s homosexual relationship in one scene, then appears to refuse to explore it any further. Some viewers took this to heart and wondered why the film didn’t choose to explore this couple any further.