ROCK OF AGES Opens in Toronto 5/11

Broadway's hit musical comedy, ROCK OF AGES, opens Tuesday May 11 at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre.

As previously announced, the show's two romantic leads are Yvan Pedneault as Drew - the raw, young rock ‘n' roll talent with a set of pipes from the gods - and Elicia MacKenzie as Sherri - the impressionable young woman who comes to Los Angeles from small-town Kansas to become an actress. 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.

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 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.

ROCK OF AGES had its world premiere in January, 2006, at the Vanguard in Los Angeles for a limited four-week run that was extended to seven weeks by popular demand. The Off-Broadway engagement began October 2008 at New World Stages and played for three months before work began on the Broadway debut. New Line Cinema recently bought the film rights to the musical. The Toronto engagement will be the show's first international production.Tickets for ROCK OF AGES are now on sale. Prices are $28 to $99.

ROCK OF AGES will begin performances April 20, 2010 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West, Toronto For tickets, call 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333. Online sales are available at www.mirvish.com. The weekly performance schedule will be: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM; matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM; and Sunday evenings at 7PM. For more information about ROCK OF AGES, visit www.rockofagesmusical.com.