Following a three-year run in London’s West End, Rock of Ages The Musical is to hit the road, with a UK tour launching at the Palace Theatre Manchester in May.
Ben Richards will star as rock god Stacee Jaxx with Noel Sullivan as Drew Boley. Further casting is to be announced later.
A celebration of 80s rock culture, the show tells the story of a smalltown girl and a big city rocker falling in love to the greatest songs of the decade—tunes such as "We Built This City", "The Final Countdown", "I Wanna Know What Love Is" and "Don’t Stop Believin".
Richards is best known for playing Bruno Milligan in ITV hit-television series Footballers Wives, along with roles in The Bill and Holby City, and as a regular judge on the BBC’s Strictly Dance Fever. Noel Sullivan is currently playing Tick in the UK and Ireland tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Following the musical’s onstage success, a movie version of the show was released in 2012, starring, amongst others, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
It will run at the Palace from May 5-10.