Friday is opening night for CNY Playhouse’s “Rock of Ages” — the musical that director Dan Rowlands fell in love with after seeing it on Broadway for his bachelor party in 2012.

“I loved it so much that I made my wife go back with me for our honeymoon,” Rowlands said.

“Rock of Ages” is a fictional jukebox musical set in 1987 Los Angeles about a team effort to save the Bourbon Room — a popular club on the Sunset Strip — from being demolished. The show originally opened on Broadway in 2009 and features hit songs by Twisted Sister, Foreigner, Poison, Survivor, Starship, Journey and other ‘80s rock artists.

Tyler Ianuzi stars as Drew Boley, a busboy at the Bourbon Room who dreams of being a rockstar. Despite having never seen “Rock of Ages” before, Ianuzi’s love for rock ‘n’ roll inspired him to audition.

“The chance to be able to sing some of my favorite songs from the ‘80s was too good an opportunity to pass up,” he said.  

Hali Greenhouse plays the role of Sherrie Christian, a small-town girl who captures Drew’s heart. “Rock of Ages” has been a “dream musical” for Greenhouse since she saw the Broadway production several years ago. She said this is her first leading role in a while — Greenhouse played one of the stepsisters in CNY Playhouse’s “Into the Woods” last month.

Nearly 50 people auditioned for the 19-person cast, Rowlands said. The production also stars Derek Potocki as Stacee Jaxx and Josh Taylor as Lonny Barnett.

The show’s costume designer, Kate Kisselstein, captured ‘80s Los Angeles fashion with denim vests, rocker shirts, neon pink fishnet stockings and animal prints. The set is designed to resemble a bar and a gentlemen’s club, with the band playing onstage.

“We also have two poles on either side of the stage that the girls dance on at different points in the show,” Rowlands said. “It’s pretty wild.”

The score features ‘80s rock hits, including “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar and Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.” It also includes a few mashups, such as “Cum On Feel the Noize/We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “The Final Countdown/We Built This City.”

“In the audience, we’ll probably have people who grew up with these songs and people whose parents raised them on these songs,” Ianuzi said.

Although the musical’s score has wide appeal, CNY Playhouse doesn’t recommend this show for young children because of its mature themes.

“Rock of Ages” opens July 13.

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Published on July 11, 2018 at 10:14 pm

Contact Haley: hrober03@syr.edu