Rock of Ages cast to perform Saturday at IU Auditorium

Bloomington will rock out this Saturday when the musical “Rock of Ages” comes to campus.

The lighthearted comedy will arrive Dec. 1 at the IU Auditorium bringing classic ‘80s rock hits along with it.

Student tickets start at $20 for the two performances at 3 and 8 p.m.

Megan McHugh, who plays rebellious protester Regina, will travel to Bloomington with the rest of the cast Saturday morning.

McHugh said she has been on tour for about four months now.

The plot revolves around the struggles of an aspiring rocker, Drew, and an aspiring actress, Sherrie, as they work in a bar that is about to be demolished.

There are many other side stories surrounding the main characters aside from Drew and Sherrie’s main storyline. The side stories give the audience a more in-depth description of what is happening.

“It’s your classic boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back kind of story, with many subplots happening around that story,” McHugh said.

However, while the plot is romantic and comedic, it is the music that holds everything together.

McHugh admits that she didn’t grow up in the era that created the music from the show. She actually grew up listening to Broadway show tunes.

She said working on this show has made her more open minded.

“It was out of my element, but it opened my horizons,” McHugh said.

The show will feature popular songs from bands like Journey, Bon Jovi and Poison.

“The music is so popular, so it stands the test of time,” she said.

“Rock of Ages” is labor intensive, McHugh said.

McHugh started rehearsing in August, and she describes the show as a big “rock party.”

“The audience should expect to have a good time, rock out with us and leave with the songs in their heads,” she said.

- Audrey Perkins