Rock of Ages follows Drew, a busboy who dreams of rock stardom, and Sherrie, a small-town girl fresh off the bus in Los Angeles, at a Sunset Strip bar called the Bourbon Room in 1987. Lonny narrates with a wink, alongside club owner Dennis, rock god Stacee Jaxx, German developers Hertz and Franz, protester Regina and Justice.
Chris D’Arienzo wrote the book around a playlist of 1980s rock hits. The show opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 7, 2009, moved to the Helen Hayes in 2011 and closed there on January 18, 2015, after 2,328 performances (IBDB; Playbill). It earned five Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Here is who everyone is, and which hair-metal anthem gives each of them away. Spoilers follow.
| Character | Who they are | Key song(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Boley | Bourbon Room busboy and would-be rock star | “I Wanna Rock,” “Oh Sherrie” |
| Sherrie Christian | New arrival from Paola, Kansas, who wants to act | “Sister Christian,” “Harden My Heart” |
| Stacee Jaxx | Lead singer of Arsenal, playing his last show | “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “I Want to Know What Love Is” |
| Lonny Barnett | Narrator and Dennis’s right-hand man at the Bourbon Room | “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (with Dennis) |
| Dennis Dupree | Owner of the Bourbon Room | “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (with Lonny) |
| Franz Klinemann | A developer’s son with a secret dream | “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” |
| Hertz Klinemann | German developer who wants to “clean up” the Strip | “Keep On Loving You” |
| Justice Charlier | Owner of the Venus Club, a strip club nearby | “Shadows of the Night,” “Any Way You Want It” |
| Regina | City planner turned full-time protester | “We’re Not Gonna Take It” |
Who are Drew and Sherrie in Rock of Ages?
Drew Boley is the boy with the guitar and the mop. He buses tables at the Bourbon Room, writes songs he can’t finish and waits for someone to give him a shot. His anthem is “I Wanna Rock,” which says it all in three words. What he lacks is nerve: on a date in the hills above Los Angeles he panics and calls them “just friends,” and that misunderstanding drives the show.
His break comes at Stacee Jaxx’s farewell gig, when a record producer hears him open and signs him. The catch is that the label wants to turn him into a hip-hop boy-band act called the Street Boyz. By the end Drew is delivering pizza and has worked out that fame was never the point. “Oh Sherrie” is his sprint to the train station to catch her before her midnight train leaves.
Sherrie Christian arrives from Paola, Kansas, with acting dreams and lands a job as a Bourbon Room waitress thanks to Drew. She gets the busiest songbook: “Sister Christian” on arrival, “Waiting for a Girl Like You” on the date, “Harden My Heart” when she is fired and taken in by Justice, and “High Enough” when she and Drew finally talk honestly.
Who is Stacee Jaxx, and what songs does he sing?
Stacee Jaxx is the lead singer of Arsenal, a band that has just announced its break-up. Dennis talks him into playing their last show at the Bourbon Room, the club where it all began, hoping the gig will save it. He is charming, vain, drunk and bad news for everyone in reach.
So which songs does Stacee Jaxx sing? He makes his entrance with “Wanted Dead or Alive,” leads “I Want to Know What Love Is” during his men’s-room seduction of Sherrie, and turns up again at the Venus Club in “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” where Sherrie gets her revenge with a well-aimed punch. He also gets the epilogue number “Renegade.” His arc is a cautionary tale: by the end he has lost his band and his reputation, and he skips the country in disgrace.
For a song-by-song look at all of these numbers, see our Rock of Ages songs explained guide.
Who are Lonny and Dennis at the Bourbon Room?
Lonny Barnett is the narrator, the Bourbon Room’s right-hand man and the show’s resident troublemaker. He talks to the audience, mocks the plot as it happens and, late in Act Two, tells Drew they are all characters in a musical. That voice is the show’s secret weapon: it lets Rock of Ages enjoy its own clichés instead of apologizing for them.
Dennis Dupree owns the Bourbon Room, a grimy legend of the Strip that the city wants to bulldoze. He would do almost anything to keep the doors open, including booking Stacee. When all seems lost, Dennis and Lonny confess their feelings for each other in “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” played as a sincere, very funny love duet. In the epilogue Dennis dies and leaves the club to Lonny. Our Can’t Fight This Feeling guide covers the scene in detail.
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Who are Franz and Hertz, and why do they want the Strip?
Hertz Klinemann is a German developer who persuades the mayor to replace the Strip’s sex, drugs and rock and roll with “clean living.” The Bourbon Room is on his demolition list.
Franz Klinemann, his son, is the show’s surprise scene-stealer. He is meant to be Hertz’s loyal deputy until he falls for Regina, the protester trying to stop them. Franz’s big moment is “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” where he stands up to his father and admits that his real dream is to open a confectionery shop in Germany.
Hertz gets a softer turn late on with “Keep On Loving You,” regretting how he treated his son. He returns the Bourbon Room’s deed to Dennis and backs Franz’s sweet shop, and Regina becomes mayor of West Hollywood.
Who is Justice, and who else is in the cast?
Justice Charlier runs the Venus Club, a strip club down the street that she insists is a “gentlemen’s club.” When Sherrie is fired, Justice offers her a job and a hard lesson about how many small-town girls end up on her stage. She leads “Shadows of the Night” and “Any Way You Want It,” and later tells Sherrie she went through a similar heartbreak with her own first love.
The rest of the cast fills in the Strip. Regina is the city planner turned protester whose rallying cry is “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” The Mayor is the man Hertz wins over, and Ja’Keith Gill is the record producer who signs Drew. Sherrie’s parents appear in her opening number.
How are the characters different in the 2012 movie?
Adam Shankman’s 2012 film, with Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, keeps the core characters but rebuilds the story around them. The biggest change is the villain: Franz and Hertz are gone, and the clean-up campaign is led instead by Patricia Whitmore, the mayor’s wife, who has a secret history with Stacee. The film also adds a Rolling Stone reporter and Stacee’s sleazy manager, Paul Gill.
Sherrie comes from Oklahoma rather than Kansas. Drew’s record deal pushes him into a boy band, and the ending moves to a stadium concert. Our Rock of Ages film vs theater comparison covers every swap. Jukebox fans should try our Mamma Mia! songs guide next.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the main character in Rock of Ages?
Drew Boley and Sherrie Christian share the lead. Drew is a Bourbon Room busboy who wants to be a rock star, and Sherrie is a Kansas newcomer who wants to act. Their on-off romance drives the plot, while Lonny narrates and Stacee Jaxx steals scenes. Most productions bill Drew and Sherrie as the central couple of the story.
What songs does Stacee Jaxx sing in Rock of Ages?
On stage, Stacee Jaxx leads “Wanted Dead or Alive,” sings “I Want to Know What Love Is” with Sherrie, and joins her in “I Hate Myself for Loving You” at the Venus Club. He also has the epilogue number “Renegade,” which is not on the original Broadway cast recording, and joins several of the big company numbers.
Who is Franz in Rock of Ages?
Franz Klinemann is the son of Hertz, the German developer trying to demolish the Sunset Strip. He falls for Regina, the protester fighting his father, and finally rebels in “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” admitting that he dreams of running a confectionery shop. His father ends up funding the shop instead of the demolition.
What songs does Sherrie sing in Rock of Ages?
Sherrie sings more than anyone. Her songs include “Sister Christian,” “More Than Words,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Harden My Heart” with “Shadows of the Night,” “High Enough,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “The Search Is Over,” and she joins the finale, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” alongside Drew and the full company.
Is Rock of Ages based on a true story?
No. The characters and plot are fictional, written by Chris D’Arienzo. The setting is real, though: the Sunset Strip rock scene of the 1980s, captured through hits by acts such as Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Poison, Foreigner and REO Speedwagon. The Bourbon Room itself is invented, but it is clearly modeled on the clubs of that era.
