Photo Coverage: First Look at Original Toronto Production of Rock of Ages

The Toronto production of the Broadway smash hit musical Rock of Ages has its official opening on May 11th, and BWW is bringing you the first look at production photos of the Original Toronto Cast. Carefully selected from auditions in NYC, LA and Toronto, this mostly Canadian cast includes Yvan Pedneault as Drew - the raw, young rock ‘n' roll talent with a set of pipes from the gods - and Elicia MacKenzie as Sherrie - the impressionable young woman who comes to Los Angeles from small-town Kansas to become an actress. Yvan Pedneault was previously seen in Mirvish Production's We Will Rock You and Elicia MacKenzie is fresh off her role in the hit Toronto production of The Sound of Music.

Also starring are Aaron Walpole as Lonny, the quick-witted sound guy in the Sunset Strip's Bourbon Room who acts as narrator for the story; David W. Keeley as Dennis, the owner of the Bourbon Room, Sunset Strip's legendary music club; Peter Deiwick as Stacee Jaxx, the bad-ass, always "cocked and loaded" lead singer of the band Arsenal; and Victor A. Young as Hertz, the seemingly evil businessman who wants to strip all the fun from the Sunset Strip and bring in a lifeless corporate culture.

Also in the cast (listed in alphabetical order): Tessa Alves, Ashley Burton, Eric Coles, Caleb Cosman, Cody Scott Lancaster, Tony LePage, Jennifer Mote, Carson Nattrass, Josephine Roberts, Valerie Stanois, Angela Teek, Melvin Tunstall and Emily Williams.

ABOUT THE SHOW

In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl meets a big city rocker and, in LA's most famous rock club, they fall in love to the greatest songs of the ‘80s. It's ROCK OF AGES, an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more.

The songs include "Sister Christian," "We Built This City," "I Wanna Rock," "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Waiting For A Girl Like You," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "I Want To Know What Love Is," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Renegade," and, of course, "Don't Stop Believin'."

It's an awesomely good time, a musical joyride about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on.

Nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, ROCK OF AGES took Broadway by storm when it opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in April 2009. "Absurdly enjoyable" raved New York Times critic Charles Isherwood. "About as guilty as pleasure gets! The siren call of those screaming guitars and singalong choruses is impossible to resist." Spin Magazine declared the show "Pure Broadway Gold!" Entertainment Weekly gushed that ROCK OF AGES was "more fun than it has any right to be."

"ROCK OF AGES is a nonstop party laden with sexy choreography, energetic performances and an on-stage band that totally rocks the house" proclaimed The Associated Press. And The New York Post said, "ROCK OF AGES does for '80s rock what Mamma Mia! did for ABBA."

 

THE CREATIVE TEAM

The show is written by Chris D'Arienzo (writer and director of the upcoming film Barry Munday), directed by Tony nominee Kristin Hanggi (Bare, Pussycat Dolls on the Sunset Strip) and choreographed by Kelly Devine (Associate Choreographer for Jersey Boys).

Scenic design is by Beowulf Boritt (Spelling Bee, LoveMusik); costume design is by Tony nominee Gregory Gale (Cyrano, The Wedding Singer); lighting design is by Jason Lyons (The Threepenny Opera); sound design is by Tony nominee Peter Hylenski (Shrek); and projection design is by Zachary Borovay (A Catered Affair). The Music Supervision, Arrangements & Orchestrations are by Ethan Popp (Tarzan) with original arrangements by David Gibbs (Film: That Thing You Do).

The Canadian production of ROCK OF AGES will be produced by Matthew Weaver, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, Barry Habib, Scott Prisand, Janet Billing Rich, Hillary Weaver, Relativity Media, The Araca Group and David Mirvish.

When and Where?
Rock of Ages
The Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West, Toronto

Performance Schedule:
Opening night is May 11th, 2010

Tues - Sat at 8PM
Sat and Sun Matinees at 2PM
Sunday Evening at 7PM

Tickets range in price from $28-99 and can be purchased in person at the box office, by phone at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333 or online at www.mirvish.com

For more information please visit the official website at http://www.rockofagesmusical.com/toronto/

Rock of Ages in Toronto is sponsored by Air Canada and the production's official hotels are the Sheraton Centre Toronto and the Westin Harbour Castle. New Theatre/Hotel Packages are now available - see www.mirvish.com for more details

Photos by Joan Marcus

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Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141

Past Articles by This Author:

• BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMON
• Photo Coverage: William Finn Q&A at Acting Up Stage's FALSETTOS
• BWW Interviews: The Women of Falsettos
• STAGE TUBE: HIT THAT JIVE JACK
• Photo Coverage: Andrew Lloyd Webber Visits Toronto's WIZARD OF OZ
• BWW Interviews: Nicky Phillips Launches YOUR BROADWAY SONG
• BWW Reviews: Strong Cast Brings Out Human Bias and Humor in Panasonic Theatre's CLYBOURNE PARK
• BWW Interview: Betsy Wolfe Talks Toronto Symphony Debut
• BWW Interviews: David Mirvish Discusses the 2013-2014 Season
• BWW Interview: Ramin Karimloo on His Toronto Homecoming in LES MISERABLES in Fall of 2013

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