Rock of Ages is the smash-hit musical that has been running for over a year on Broadway and is delighting audiences in New York. At its core it is a classic "boy meets girl" love story, based on popular hits of the 1980s and featuring song and dance numbers that represent the big hair, loud music and acid wash culture. The show opened in April of 2009 and went on to be nominated for five Tony Awards (including Best Musical). A US National Tour is in the works and kicks off in September in Chicago, IL with Original Broadway Cast member Constantine Maroulis reprising the lead role of Drew. However, before the National Tour gets underway, the Canadian incarnation is set to open in Toronto courtesy of Mirvish Productions. The Canadian Rock of Ages will represent the first non-Broadway production of the show, with many more countries likely to follow suit.
Rock of Ages is set in 1987 on the Sunset Strip, and tells the story about small-town girl Sherri (played by Elicia MacKenzie) who meets big city rocker Drew (played by Yvan Pedneault) in LA's most famous rock club. The two fall in love to the soundtrack of some of the greatest hits of the 80's including songs from Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more. Some of the songs featured 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'."
Toronto has a long history of success with Canadian productions of Broadway hits and the city is thrilled to be home to the second North American production of Rock of Ages. Opening night is May 11th, 2010 and advance buzz has been overwhelmingly positive. Members of the creative team behind Rock of Ages (including Director Kirstin Hanggi, Book Writer Chris D'Arienzo, Choreographer Kelly Devine, Costume Designer Gregory Gale and Producers Matt Weaver, Carl Levin and Janet Billig Rich) took the time to talk with BWW about the "Road to Rock" in Toronto - and we bring you this exclusive look at what it has been like creating the Canadian Rock of Ages.
Getting Rock of Ages to Broadway was not an easy task. The show started out in LA in 2006 and it took three years before it got its Broadway debut. According to Chris D'Arienzo, the move to Toronto was a lot smoother than the move to Broadway. Since the show was already an established hit, obtaining the necessary support was simpler and Mirvish Productions made the transition an easy one for everyone involved. The same sentiment is echoed by Carl Levin and Matt Weaver, who spoke at length about how nerve-racking it is to open in another city because "you start to question whether the show can have the same success it has had in NYC when you transport it to another location." However, both Carl and Matt were impressed with the Canadian talent and support they received in getting the show off the ground here.
Director Kristin Hanggi was directly involved in the casting process for the Toronto production, and she pointed out what a delight it was to witness the Canadian "triple threats." Perhaps due to the fact that there are far fewer jobs in Toronto for people in musical theatre, those who do come out to auditions have to be on top of their game. Kristin says she loved how talented everyone was, and the fact that so many people were able to "sing, dance, act and be really funny." Rock of Ages is a show that is largely "cast by essence" in that the people are chosen based not only on their talent, but also how the creative team feels they will mould into the roles - and Toronto did not disappoint.
Kelly Devine, who is the choreographer for the production, also spoke highly about the "triple threat" sensation the team witnessed in Toronto. The show is technically difficult with demanding dance moves on top of the vocal stylings needed to pull off the various roles, and Kelly and her team worked hard to ensure that everyone was capable of giving the show the sexy and energetic feel that is associated with the music of the eighties. Part of that process involved something unique to the Toronto production: weekly workouts led by Dance Captains Valerie Stanois and Ashley Burton. They would get the whole team together for a music-fueled workout which helped foster a feeling of family and also got everyone in the shape required to perform eight shows a week.
