A rock musical set in Hollywood in the 1980s, when it was all about big chords, big dreams and big hair! Rock of Ages explores the pursuit of dreams and tells its story through hits from iconic groups and rockers of the 1980s.
It’s the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strips last legendary venues, a place where sex machine Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes).
But the rock and roll fairy-tale is about to end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherri and the gang save the strip–and themselves–before it's too late? Only the music of hit bands Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and more hold the answer.
"Even doubters will be wiping tears from their Wayfarers. Rock of Ages is the power-ballad decade in all its glory, tricked out with big perms, bigger dreams, and the kind of operatic ecstasy you read about only in bathroom stalls."
Entertainment Weekly
Melissa Maerz
"A seriously silly, absurdly enjoyable arena-rock musical...the performances blend sincere conviction and knowing parody. I never would have guessed that wine coolers could age this well!"
The New York Times
Charles Isherwood
"As the show opens with blinding lights, shredding guitars and hammer-handed drumming, it's clear that most-pit atmosphere is paramount. By the time the ensemble unites on Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," even nonbelievers may start inhaling the Aqua Net and embracing their inner rocker. "
Variety
David Rooney