Rock of Ages Expected to Play Toronto

By Kenneth Jones
19 Oct 2009

Broadway's Tony Award-nominated Rock of Ages will have a life north of the border at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre in spring 2010, Variety reported.

The jukebox musical that steals rock songs from the 1980s will have a Canadian-cast staging produced by Mirvish Productions with the participation of the Broadway creative team (including Tony-nominated director Kristin Hanggi).

A May launch is expected, the trade paper reported. As of Oct. 19, Mirvish had made no official announcement.

Rock of Ages — nominated for five 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical — premiered on Broadway March 17, 2009, and officially opened April 7 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The show as penned by Chris D'Arienzo and features choreography by Kelly Devine and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp.

"In 1987 on the Sunset Strip," Rock of Ages production notes state, "a small town girl met a big city rocker and in L.A.'s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the '80s. . . . [The musical is] an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more."