Rock Of Ages The Musical Script File
The Dream The story begins with a small-town girl named Sherrie arriving in Los Angeles from Kansas with a suitcase full of records and dreams of making it big ("Sister Christian"). She heads straight to the legendary Bourbon Room, a rock club owned by the aging hippie Dennis Dupree and managed by Lonny.
Sherrie meets Drew, a young, aspiring rocker who works at the club as a barback. He is instantly smitten. He convinces Dennis to hire Sherrie as a waitress. They bond over their dreams—Drew wants to be a rock star, and Sherrie wants to be an actress. There is an immediate spark, and they agree to show each other the city ("Just Like Paradise" / "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now").
The Threat Meanwhile, a German developer named Hertz Klinemann and his son Franz arrive in Los Angeles. They have plans to demolish the Sunset Strip, including the Bourbon Room, to build a strip mall with a lingerie store and a frozen yogurt shop. To do this, they hire Stacee Jaxx, the lead singer of the mega-band Arsenal, to play the final performance at the Bourbon Room before it is torn down.
The city planners engage a protest group, led by a serious young woman named Regina, but the rockers on the Strip seem oblivious to the impending doom. rock of ages the musical script
The Misunderstanding Drew tries to ask Sherrie out, but he fumbles his words. Sherrie mistakes his nervousness for disinterest. At the same time, Stacee Jaxx arrives at the club with his entourage. Stacee is a caricature of a rock god—arrogant, drugged out, and surrounded by women ("Wanted Dead or Alive").
Drew manages to get a demo tape to Stacee’s technician. However, when Drew spots Sherrie heading into the bathroom with Stacee Jaxx (who is looking for a "good time"), Drew assumes the worst—believing Sherrie is hooking up with the rock star. Heartbroken, Drew leaves the club, unaware that Sherrie actually rejected Stacee and walked out on him.
The Fall Stacee performs with Arsenal ("I Want to Know What Love Is"), but the night ends in chaos. Because Drew has left, Dennis and Lonny realize they are short-staffed and panicked about the future. The Dream The story begins with a small-town
Sherrie, believing Drew left because he didn't like her, wanders the streets alone. In her vulnerable state, she is mugged and loses her suitcase and all her money. Desperate and alone, she encounters a "Gentlemen's Club" owner named Justice Charlier. Justice takes pity on her and offers her a job. Feeling she has no other options, Sherrie becomes a stripper at the Venus Club ("Harden My Heart").
In most jukebox musicals, songs feel stapled on. In Rock of Ages, the script integrates lyrics into the scene. Look at the script’s stage directions for “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake:
(Stacee grabs Sherrie, climbing the sound booth ladder. They sing directly to each other. By the final chorus, they’re nose to nose. Then he drops her. Literally.) (Stacee grabs Sherrie, climbing the sound booth ladder
The physical comedy is written into the song. Similarly, “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (REO Speedwagon) is staged not as a love duet but as Drew singing to a mop (representing his loneliness).
For directors: The script allows you to cut or reorder songs only if you have permission from the licensing house (usually Music Theatre International or Concord Theatricals). The standard “Rock of Ages the musical script” comes with a mandatory song list that cannot be altered for professional productions.
The script is surprisingly chaste in dialogue but overt in double-entendre. The famous scene where Drew and Sherrie "do it" for the first time is represented by a stage direction that simply reads: "They make love. It is hilarious and romantic." The director must fill in the physical comedy.