YORK Stage Musicals are ready to rock in the blockbusting musical Rock Of Ages at the Grand Opera House, York, from April 7 to 15.

From the company that brought you 9 To 5, Ghost, The Musical, Hairspray and Sister Act, The Musical, comes a journey back to the Eighties and such gods of poodle rock as Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Styx, Jefferson Starship, Europe, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon and...Journey.

"Get ready to back-comb your hair, dig out that ra-ra skirt and prepare to air-guitar the evening away" in a show containing scenes of full-frontal rock debauchery, set at the tail end of 1980s' Hollywood, where the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strip's last legendary venues, the Bourbon Room, a place where sex machine Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality.

Amid the madness, aspiring rock star and resident loo cleaner Drew longs to be the next big thing and aches for the affection of small-town girl Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes. However, the rock'n'roll fairytale faces its final curtain when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist shopping mall.

Can Drew, Sherri and the gang save the strip – and themselves –before it's too late? Only the power of such songs as Don’t Stop Believin’, We Built This City, The Final Countdown, Wanted Dead Or Alive, Here I Go Again, Can’t Fight This Feeling and I Want To Know What Love holds the answer.

“Rock Of Ages is so much more than a musical, it's a mini rock concert," says artistic director Nik Briggs, who is joined in the production team by choreographer Jessica Hardcastle and musical director Stephen Hackshaw. "The company have taken the vocally demanding challenge of these classic songs head on and are making the most phenomenal sound,” he adds.

Leading the cast are YSM regulars Lauren Sheriston as Sherri, the bright-eyed newcomer from Kansas, and Conor Mellor as the wannabe rock star Drew, joined by York stage debutant Richard Upton as Stacee Jaxx.

What's On caught up with the leads in a break from a gruelling rehearsal and they first reminded readers of where they might have seen them performing before. "I played Molly Jensen in York Stage Musicals' version of Ghost in February 2016," says Lauren. "The last show I did was 9 To 5, the Dolly Parton musical, for York Stage in September last year," recalls Conor.

"My last show was Legally Blonde at Harrogate Theatre, playing the part of the arrogant and shallow love interest, Warner Huntington III," says Richard. "In Rock Of Ages, I'm playing the part of the arrogant and shallow rock star, Stacee Jaxx. There seems to be a trend."

Richard, who lives in Harrogate, was keen to work with York Stage Musicals for the first time. "Having seen YSM's last show, 9 To 5, it was clear that they aim for nothing short of perfection," he says.

York Press:

"Rock Of Ages? The music is absolutely iconic," says Richard Upton, left, who plays Stacee Jaxx in York Stage Musicals' production

"You could see to see that everybody involved, both on and off stage, was passionate about their show. YSM have a very good reputation across Yorkshire and their productions easily compete with professional companies. There are not many companies which could offer ten performances of such a high-quality show in a professional theatre such as the Grand Opera House, so it was a no-brainer."

Lauren and Conor have performed with York Stage Musicals since the company was set up and greatly enjoy the experience. "I love working with YSM because the standard of the shows gets better and better every time," says Lauren. "The cast and creative team are amazing and it's such a privilege to be able to have so much fun while still performing in such high-quality shows."

"For me, the quality of the productions is consistently high and that comes down to the production team and the fact we have a high turnover of fresh new talent," says Conor.

What made the three leads leap at the chance to shake their manes in Rock Of Ages? "The music is absolutely iconic," says Richard. "It contains all those classic songs that are belted out at 5am in any good nightclub or entertainment venue. It's an incredibly fun show and I couldn't miss an opportunity to rock out in such a fantastic venue with a brilliant cast."

"It's the music! I love Eighties' music," says Lauren. "My mum has always loved Eighties' soft rock like Bon Jovi, so it's very exciting to be performing songs that I remember from growing up, live on stage."

"My stepdad was always listening to Eighties' rock in the car on the way to the seaside or just around the house," says Conor. "Then when the Rock Of Ages movie came out, it was always something I dreamed of doing and now I have the opportunity."

Each lead is looking forward to one aspect of the show in particular. "Wearing my wig every night for a week," says Richard. "It’s the most wonderful mane of hair that I plan on stealing after the show."

"Getting on stage and seeing the show come together with the band," says Lauren. "It’s more exciting than usual with the band as they're on stage with us." As for Conor, he chooses "getting the chance to sing all the songs I usually sing in the shower in front of an audience".

Richard is so enjoying his first taste of York Stage Musicals, he will "definitely be taking part" in YSM's next show, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, a musical-comedy account of three drag queens taking a road trip across Australia. "I’ll be keeping my wig from Rock Of Ages and decorating it over the coming months, in time for Priscilla, another show with a legendary soundtrack," he promises.

York Stage Musicals present Christopher D’Arienzo and Ethan Popp's Rock Of Ages at Grand Opera House, York, April 7 to 15, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york