1980s inspired musical will make you wanna rock

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The five-time Tony Award-nominated smash hit musical "Rock of Ages" will make its West Lafayette premiere at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16. The performance is presented by Purdue Convocations.

In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small-town girl met a big-city dreamer - and in L.A.'s most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the '80's. It's "Rock of Ages," a hilarious, feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more. This musical, that has a star-studded motion picture in the works, is rockin' its way across the USA.

"Rock of Ages" has hit productions in Australia, London, South Korea and is still rockin' on Broadway, featuring 28 classic rock tunes, including "Don't Stop Believin'," "We Built This City," "The Final Countdown," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Here I Go Again," "Harden My Heart," "Can't Fight this Feeling," "Renegade," and "I Want To Know What Love Is."

"Rock of Ages" is directed by Tony Award nominee Kristin Hanggi ("Bare," "Pussycat Dolls on the Sunset Strip") and choreographed by Kelly Devine ("Jersey Boys - associate choreographer), with a book by Chris D'Arienzo (writer and director of the film "Barry Munday"), original arrangements by David Gibbs (Counting Crows, Film: "That Thing You Do") and the music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp ("Tarzan;" "Europe: We Will Rock You," "Mamma Mia").

"Rock of Ages" is produced by Phoenix Entertainment.

Tickets are $22-$52 for adults and $22-$39 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at 765-494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at 765-496-1977.

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations was one of the first professional performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 20-30 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, children's theater, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country and comedy attractions. With a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.

Source: Abby Eddy, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, 765-494-9712, aeeddy@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Publication-quality photos are available at http://www.convocations.org/press