“Like Hayes, Rock (born Eric Myricks) grew up singing spirituals in church and later wowed teachers at University School with his fledgling talent. As a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was the lone black vocalist, Rock couldn’t point to many role models in the world of classical singing…In one of his final numbers, Rock delivers a spiritual with tears streaming down his cheeks, and the words of Hayes’ mother echo in that performance. That alone is enough to make this critic stand, clap her hands and say, “Amen.”
[more]: Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Elijah Rock was raised in Cleveland as Eric Myricks. He has found success as a jazz singer, a tap dancer, and a stage and film performer. Rock has the perfect tenor voice for playing Roland Hayes. He is capable of making the spirituals pull at your heart strings and making the arias evoke comparisons with performers such as Enrico Caruso.”
[more]: Talkin Broadway
“Elijah Rock, as Hayes, masterfully captures the singer’s early humility and later determination as we trace his evolution as a man and an artist through intermittent, chronological flashbacks that start during a concert performance in 1942. More importantly, Rock displays the pure tones and soulful undercurrent that famously resided in Hayes’ vocal presentation. When his sensitive, nuanced rendition of “O del mio dolce ardor” ends, you realize how lost you’ve been in its presentation and how much you look forward to doing the same when the next aria arises.”
[more]: Cleveland Jewish News
“Cleveland native Elijah Rock, a University School grad with Cleveland Institute of Music, Singing Angels, Karamu and Lyric Opera Cleveland training, has a fine singing voice, the acting skills and the ability to create a very believable Roland.”
[more]: The News-Herald
“To portray the life of such an extraordinary man is truly a challenge and without a doubt, Elijah Rock is up to the task. He even closely resembles early photos of Roland Hayes…In short, Elijah Rock was born to portray the complex biography of the great Roland Hayes. He gives equal justice to the spiritual as well as classic operatic pieces. There is even a short dance sequence. Among his many talents, Elijah is also a professional tap dancer and has been hoofing since age ten. He credits his tap skills to his late teacher, Ed Bubba “Taps” Ferguson.”
[more]: Examiner.com
“Rock and Gaines turn in spectacular performances. They create a tremendous love story that enters your heart and continues to grow through the entire performance. Rock (Hayes), who is equipped with an instrument from above, sings with adept passion, interpreting the storytelling and performance pieces with classical aplomb.”
[more]: TPOGraphy: Theatre Review