Rock of Ages - Rock Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre, London

Sep 28, 2011
Frances Spiegel

Rock of Ages, Shaftesbury Theatre - Linda M. Hartley, 18 June 2011, http://lindamhartley.co.uk/

Rock of Ages, the smash hit musical featuring music of the 1980s, opens in London with a cast led by Justin Lee Collins, Shayne Ward and Amy Pemberton.

The lively, raucous, musical, Rock of Ages, based on a book by Chris D'Arienzo, opened at London's Shaftesbury Theatre on 27th September 2011. The show has already enjoyed successful runs in Canada, Australia and the United States, both off and on Broadway, and is about to be made into a feature film, starring Tom Cruise, to be released in 2012.

Rock of Ages - the London Cast

The London cast is led by the British broadcasting personality Justin Lee Collins, who plays Dennis Dupree, and the 2005 X Factor winner Shayne Ward, as Stacee Jaxx. Collins and Ward are supported by Oliver Tompsett as Drew; Amy Pemberton as Sherrie; Simon Lipkin as Lonny; and many more. The band features Steve Holness (Assistant Musical Director) on keys; Nick Kendall and Nick Radcliffe, guitars; Chris Maitland, drums; and Oliver Poschmann on bass. The show is produced by Michael Cohl, Tony Smith, Matthew Weaver and S2BN Entertainment.

Rock of Ages - the Plot

Rock of Ages tells the story of two young people: Drew Boley, an aspiring rocker from South Detroit, takes a job as a bus boy in The Bourbon Room, a Hollywood bar/night club owned by Dennis Dupree. Sherrie Christian, a young girl from Kansas, hoping to hit the big time as an actress, is hired as a waitress at the club.

This vibrant feel-good story transports you back to the 1980s, to the era of glam metal bands, through songs from Bon Jovi, Styx, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Asia, Poison, Journey, and many other famous rock groups.

Twenty-eight lively songs, including ″I Hate Myself For Loving You″ and ″Heat of the Moment″ sung by Sherrie, Drew, Stacee and the Company, together with ″Don't Stop Believin'″; ″The Final Countdown″; ″Wanted Dead or Alive″; ″Waiting for a Girl Like You″; ″I Wanna Rock″; ″I Want To Know What Love Is″; ″Renegade″; and ″We Built This City″ are guaranteed to get audiences singing along, or even dancing in the aisles.

Rock of Ages Around the World

The show originally opened in 2006 at the Vanguard Hollywood, Los Angeles. This was followed by an off-Broadway production at New World Stages in New York City in 2008/9, transferring to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, opening in April 2009. The musical moved to the Helen Hayes Theatre in March 2011, where it is still being enjoyed by sell-out audiences.

Nominations and Awards

The show, which has also been produced in Toronto and Melbourne, has been nominated five times for Tony Awards, and twice for Drama League awards, but did not win. The Toronto production won the TAPA's Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production in the 31st Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2009/2010 season.

Parental Guidance

A word of caution: Rock of Ages explores adult themes. Some dances, costumes and language may not be considered appropriate for children under the age of 13.

Rock of Ages is on stage at the Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8DP. Tickets, and further details, can be obtained from the theatre and all reputable ticket agencies.

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