OUT of the Blue and into the Grand Opera House for a third time in his parallel acting career goes pop singer Antony Costa.

He is to star in the lead role of Stacee Jaxx in Rock Of Ages, the musical comedy with “serious rock’n’roll debauchery” at the York theatre from April 23 to 27 next year as part of an eight-week run in the role from April 8 to June 1.

For other dates, Strictly Come Dancing regular Kevin Clifton will be the lead from January 22 to April 6 and June 11 to July 27.

York Press:

Antony Costa, centre, as gardener Roger Meadows, with Chris Ellison and Ben Nealon in A Judgement In Stone at the Grand Opera House last October. Picture: Geraint Lewis 

Best known as a member of the boyband Blue, Costa first appeared at the Grand Opera House as murder suspect Roger Meadows – “a gardener with bit of ‘previous’ for larceny, GBH, beating people up,” said Costa – in Ruth Rendell’s thriller A Judgement In Stone last October.

He returned in beastly/princely mode last December and January to lead Chris Moreno’s pantomime company as the Beast in Beauty And The Beast, most memorably singing Rag’n’Bone Man’s chart-topper, Human.

The 37-year-old Edgeware performer has also played Mickey Johnson in the West End production of Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers and starred in the British tour of Save The Last Dance For Me.

York Press:

Antony Costa as Beast in Beauty And The Beast at the Grand Opera House last December

For Rock Of Ages, he will be joined by former Coronation Street soap star Kevin Kennedy as Dennis; Zoe Birkett as Justice; Luke Walsh as Drew; Lucas Rush as Lonny; Jodie Steele as Sherrie; Andrew Carthy as Franz; Vas Constanti as Hertz and Rhiannon Chesterman as Regina.

Rock Of Ages is a Los Angeles love story that invites you to “lose yourself in a city and a time where the dreams are as big as the hair, and yes, they can come true”.

The show is built around 25 Eighties’ classic rock anthems, from We Built This City, The Final Countdown and Here I Go Again, to Can’t Fight This Feeling and I Want To Know What Love Is, and has enjoyed extensive runs in the West End, on Broadway and in Las Vegas.

Tickets are on sale on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york.