Ultrasonic gang will ‘Rock’ you

By Brett Milano

Boston Herald

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Two years ago, a troupe of local actors and rockers known as the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra tried to stage a version of ‘‘Jesus Christ Superstar.” But composer Andrew Lloyd Webber heard their tape, didn’t like it and denied them permission. Now they’re getting even. The Ultrasonic’s current production, ‘‘A Night at the Rock Opera,” is largely a greatest hits of early-’70s concept albums, including three songs from ‘‘Superstar.” But the highlight of the evening is an original mini-opera, ‘‘Will We Rock You?,” written by leaders Sal Clemente and Alan Ware and singer Peter Montgomery.

Based on Clemente’s experience getting dissed by his hero, the piece is both a dig at Webber and a clever catalogue of early-’70s styles, with obvious nods at The Who and Queen. After the mock-tragic ‘‘Andrew Lloyd Webber Said No,” the five-song piece builds to a suitably bombastic finale. Otherwise, the night offered cover versions of some of rock’s all-time toughest songs to cover, including Queen’s ‘‘Bohemian Rhapsody” (complete with the opera section that Queen never even tried to perform live) and a lot of vintage Who, Beatles and Bowie. Musically, the show is first-rate: Unlike many rock-opera companies, this crew doesn’t forget to rock. Ware is a fine Keith Moon-style
drummer, and it doesn’t hurt that local guitar hotshot Tony Savarino (of the World’s Greatest Sinners) is anchoring the band.

The main problem is with the staging: There isn’t any. It’s fine to present the songs as a large rock band rather than a theater troupe, letting the material speak for itself. But with 19 singers crammed on to the Regent stage, performers didn’t always seem sure where to stand; some singers seemed far hammier and more used to being onstage than others.

Aside from the original piece, the foremost attraction is getting to hear some of the grandest late-’60s and ’70s productions done with original vocal parts intact. The Queen material proved especially up their alley; they nailed all the gospel-choir overdubs on ‘‘Somebody to Love.” Much of the spotlight went to Chantal Ambrose (who looks and sounds like a young Tina Turner) and Andrew
Kuhn, who switched off well on the soulful Joe Cocker arrangement of ‘‘With a Little Help From My Friends.” But other singers stood out in smaller roles, notably Fatima Elmi’s vulnerable treatment of Queen’s ballad ‘‘Love of My Life.”

If this group plans to keep doing cover songs, it should try throwing some less obvious ones into the mix - maybe some Genesis, Pretty Things or mid-’70s Kinks (all of which were done by the unconnected, now-defunct Boston Rock Opera troupe). But Thursday’s opening night suggested that getting turned down by Lloyd Webber may be the best thing that ever happened to the Ultrasonic Rock
Orchestra.

‘‘A Night at the Rock Opera.” Presented by Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra at the Regent Theatre, Arlington, through
March 19.