Had W.C. Fields seen School of Rock before made his famous quote where he warned “never work with children or animals” he may have been singing a different tune – perhaps “Stick it to the Man”, one of the memorable numbers performed by the talented cast on opening night of the play at TPAC Tuesday night.

School of Rock, which rocks TPAC through Sunday evening, features a cast of youths like 10-year-old Theodora Silverman who plays Katie, a base player in the unlikely rock band. When the young New Yorker came in for tryout she was asked “how long have you played bass?” Her response was “about a week”, even though her proficiency on the instrument was off the charts.

The casting group looked at 22,000 children, ages nine to 12 for the initial production of School of Rock which opened in 2015 on Broadway. Casting Director Merri Sugarman noted that the challenge is not only finding a child in that age group that is musically gifted but they also have to be able to act and sing.

Once selected for School of Rock, the children then embark on a challenging array of rehearsals and tutoring which keep them busy preparing for their performance as well as keeping up their education.

“These are elementary school kids,” Sugarman reminded.

School of Rock stars Rob Colletti, playing the role of Dewey Finn who slicks his way into a teaching gig at a prestigious private school. The role was made famous by Jack Black who played the out-of-luck rocker in the movie. Finn finds himself surrounded by the talented children and invents a plan of how he can use them to win the Battle of the Bands. Things, as you suspect, do not go as planned.

The play not only showcases the talented young cast but it also tells a powerful story about their often strained family relationships at home and how through the magic of music they bridge the gaps that has caused them and their parents to drift apart.

The show will leave you chanting for an encore and singing the lyrics to yourself all the way home.

For tickets for School of Rock, contact the TPAC box office at 615-782-4040 or go to TPAC.org.