BWW Exclusive: Ready to Rock... Again! ROCK OF AGES Team Dishes on 10th Anniversary Tour

By: Aug. 15, 2018
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As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, Fifth Estate Entertainment will soon present the mind-blowing, face melting, nothin' but a good time, audience favorite ROCK OF AGES, which returns to the stage with a tenth anniversary tour beginning this fall. The five-time Tony®-nominated musical will hit the road starting October 2018 with an all new production.

As we approach the final countdown to the tour's launch, BroadwayWorld is checking in with director, Martha Banta and and choreographer, Janet Rothermel, to find out while you'll still wanna rock ten years later.

It will soon be ten years since Rock of Ages opened on Broadway, and going on four since it played its final performance- why do you think that people need to see it in 2019?

MB: Rock of Ages tells a love story using the best rock music from the 1980s. Everyone needs love, and everyone really does need to rock out, whether or not they realize it. It doesn't matter what year it is - people just need to see Rock of Ages. And the show provides a total release - you can sing along, belly laugh and dance in the aisles. These days we could all use a rocking good time to forget about the present and bask in the nostalgia of the past.

JR: It is an immersion into the best of the boundary pushing, classic rock, glam metal bands of the 80's with a great sense of humor and an awesome escape from the present day.

Where are you in the process now?

MB: We have just finished up our design process - making some final choices about the set, lights, costumes, and sound. Casting is all finished and we will be starting rehearsals in mid-September.

Can audiences expect any major differences in this production versus what they might have seen on Broadway or on tour?

JR: We were tasked with creating our own version of this show, with of course all the same great music and clever story, but with a different set, costumes and some little hidden gems we're finding. Choreographically I'm hoping to take the moves of the day from music videos, glam metal clubs and strip clubs and put a fun twist on them.

This show has already been a hit all around the world. What about it do you think keeps audiences coming back for more?

MB: Of course I think it's the music and the story. But beyond that, it's the humor, the nostalgia, and the lovable characters. Plus by the time you go home you will feel like you've been to a party.

JR: This show has a huge collection of iconic, fantastic, fun music that is as popular today as it was in the 80's. It also has such a great sense of humor and a witty nod to the uninhibited times of that period. I think all these elements combined, make for a show that people will continue to flock to.

What are you most looking forward to in taking this show on the road?

MB: I think touring this show will feel very much like a rock and roll tour - the audience can't wait to hear the band play their favorite songs. And that kind of appreciation, right from the first guitar riff, no matter what town the show plays, is going to feel really great for everyone involved.

JR: I can't wait to share this cast and our show across the country!

CLICK HERE to find out who will take the show on the road!

It's 1987 on Hollywood's Sunset Strip when a small-town girl meets a big city rocker. As they fall in love in L.A.'s most famous rock club, ROCK OF AGES allows fans to rock out once again to their favorite '80s hits. Featuring the music of iconic bands such as Styx, Poison, Twisted Sister, and Whitesnake among many others, this Tenth Anniversary production features a dynamic new cast revisiting the larger than life characters and exhilarating story that turned ROCK OF AGES into a global phenomenon.

ROCK OF AGES opened April 7, 2009 on Broadway and played more than 2,300 performances at the Brooks Atkinson and Helen Hayes Theatres earning five Tony Award® nominations including Best Musical. The show also enjoyed successful national and international tours and, in 2012, was turned into a major motion picture by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures. With a book by Chris D'Arienzo and arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp, the tenth anniversary tour is being directed by Martha Banta and choreographed by Janet Rothermel.



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