12.06 pm, Tuesday February 14 2012

Rock of Ages mixes mullets and music

07:32 AEDT Tue Feb 16 2010
By Alyssa Braithwaite
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Rock of Ages
The stage musical Rock of Ages is headed to Australia and will open in Melbourne in April 2011.

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A Broadway musical that celebrates 80s power ballads and mullet hairstyles?

No wonder Rock of Ages has been called Mamma Mia! for dudes.

A smash hit in the US, where it was nominated for five Tony Awards, the stage musical is headed to Australia and will open in Melbourne in April 2011.

Set in 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small-town girl meets a big-city dreamer in Los Angeles' most legendary rock club, where they fall in love to songs like I Want to Know What Love Is, The Final Countdown, We Built This City and More Than Words.

The rock'n'roll comedy romance was the brainchild of film and television producer Carl Levin - a self-confessed 80s rock fan.

"My business partner and I, a guy named Matt Weaver, were driving down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles listening to music, and we both grew up in the 80s and love Journey and Bon Jovi and Styx and REO Speedwagon," Levin told AAP from New York.

"We basically thought, well there's never been a show for guys - most Broadway musicals are kind of geared towards a female point of view.

"We wanted to turn that on its head and the idea was born from there."

While neither had a background in theatre, Levin and Weaver hit upon a winning idea.

It opened in January 2006 at a bar on Hollywood Boulevard, before moving to Broadway last April.

A film version of Rock of Ages is now in pre-production, and the show is headed for Toronto, London, Las Vegas, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Japan and Korea.

Levin said after writing a funny and irreverent story to go with it, he never doubted its appeal.

"It's like a party every night," he said.

"We have people who dress up and come with huge hair, and eyeliner and lycra - and those are just the men.

"If you have those items hidden away deep in the back of your closet it gives you permission to bring them out and be amongst friends at Rock of Ages."

The producers are looking to start casting locally in May or June for 20 main roles - mullets are optional.

"For one of our characters yes a mullet is required, but if you don't want to grow a mullet we will provide you with a wig," Levin said.

 
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