A new musical inspired by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is set to debut in London next week as part of the Vault Festival. Titled The People's Rock, the production is created by the women's collaboration project Nevertheless, She. The play is described as blending the paranoid edge of 1984 with the warmth of Hairspray.
Set 30 years in the future, the story follows a teenage girl living in America under the rule of Emperor Trumpus. In this dystopian world, there is no television, internet, or democracy, and the past has been forgotten. The protagonist becomes obsessed with the legend of Dwayne Johnson, who appears as a fantasy figure called 'The Fairy RockMother'.
Producer Emma Shaw explained that the idea originated from a joke among friends. 'It came about as all the best ideas do when we were taking the piss out of one of our friends. She is obsessed with Dwayne Johnson,' Shaw said. The project evolved into a 60-minute play with ten songs and a full cast, produced by an all-women's writing group.
The Rock is portrayed by a puppet, as the creators could not afford the real actor. Shaw noted the similarities between wrestling and theatre, calling WWE 'theatre in its purest form'. The play aims to address contemporary issues subtly, without being heavy-handed, while primarily serving as entertainment.
