Metal Musical Rock of Ages Sets Dates at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre

The upcoming West End production of Rock of Ages has set dates for its previously announced run at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre. The ‘80s tuner will begin performances on August 31 and officially open on September 27. Casting has yet to be announced.

Rock of Ages is set in 1987 on the Sunset Strip, where a small town girl meets a big city rocker in L.A.’s most famous rock club. Their love story is told through the hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Asia, Whitesnake and many more. The Broadway musical, which is currently on hiatus while it switches theaters, received five Tony nominations (including Best Musical) after opening on April 7, 2009. It will reopen March 24 at the Helen Hayes Theatre with newly announced stars MiG Ayesa, Rebecca Faulkenberry and Dam Domenech on board.

This London production is the latest benchmark in a busy Rock of Ages season. The show's national tour, starring American Idol alum Constantine Maroulis, recently celebrated a star-studded opening night at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre, while an even starrier film adaptation of the show is slated to start filming in May 2011, with an eye on a 2012 release date.