Strictly Come Dancing 2018 winner Kevin Clifton will be swapping the ballroom for the bourbon club this Spring when the award-winning Rock of Ages powers into Coventry.
After wowing viewers across the country with his Strictly success last year, the dance sensation will star as hedonistic rockstar Stacee Jaxx when the rags to riches rock ‘n’ roll musical opens at the Belgrade Theatre 11-16 March.
Packed with over 25 classic rock anthems from across the 80s, this hilarious LA love story will transport audiences back to a time when the dreams were as big as the hair – and some of them really did come true! Get ready for some serious rock ‘n’ roll debauchery as you sing along to unforgettable hits like The Final Countdown, We Built This City and I Want To Know What Love Is, all played loud and proud by an awesome live band.
Kevin Clifton said: “I’ve wanted to do musical theatre for so long… so when this opportunity came up I wanted to grab it with both hands. One of my favourite facts is that I obviously just danced with Stacey Dooley on Strictly Come Dancing, and her full name is actually Anastacia Jaclyn Dooley, and her nickname is Stacey Jacs, so it seems like it was meant to be!”
Joining him on stage will be Jodie Steele and Luke Walsh as ambitious young lovers Sherrie Christian and Drew Boley, as well as Kevin Kennedy as Bourbon Club owner Dennis Dupree, Lucas Rush as his right-hand man Lonny Barnett, and Zoe Birkett as strip club owner Justice Charlier. Andrew Carthy plays Franz, Vas Constanti plays Hertz and Rhiannon Chesterman plays Regina.
Completing the cast are Erin Bell, Alexander Day, Joshua Dever, Paris Green, Sinead Kenny, Ryan Lee-Seager, Adam Strong, Saran Webb and Bobby Windebank.
Now a global smash with extensive runs in London’s West End, on Broadway and in Las Vegas, the show has also been made into a Hollywood movie with a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Malin Åkerman, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta.
Rock of Ages features a book by Chris D’Arienzo and arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp. It is directed and choreographed by Nick Winston (The Royal Variety Performance, Annie and The Wedding Singer) and designed by Morgan Large (The Woman in White, Top Hat, and The Christmasaurus) with lighting design by Ben Cracknell (Young Frankenstein, Sunset Boulevard and Annie). Sound design is by Ben Harrison (Hairspray, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Million Dollar Quartet) and musical supervision is by Barney Ashworth (Sunny Afternoon, Grease and Mrs Henderson Presents).
