Friday Night Eighties Special: “Rock Of Ages” Trailer Highlights Decade’s Hits

April 6, 2012 6:00 PM

(credit: provided photo)

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When the star-studded adaptation of Broadway’s Rock Of Ages hits theaters on June 15, fans will see Tom Cruise give his take on Sunset Strip-style rock star vamping in the decade of excess (which Cruise should know something about, since it was also the era of his own breakout).

The film’s brand new trailer gives a taste of Cruise’s portrayal of fictional rocker Stacee Jaxx, the leader of the (also fictional) hair metal band Arsenal, while highlighting some of the most over-the-top rock of the 1980s. Watch the clip below.

The trailer features eight classic songs in just two minutes, ranging from Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” and Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” to Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” But this is just a small portion of what’s expected to be used in the film itself, which also stars the likes of Julianne Hough Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Alec Baldwin and Mary J. Blige.

Broadway’s Rock Of Ages is a “jukebox musical,” meaning that rather than a songbook comprised of new music, the production uses popular music as its score, a la Movin’ Out (comprised of Billy Joel songs), Mamma Mia! (ABBA), and Jersey Boys (The Four Seasons). The Broadway show opens with a mash-up of Poison’s “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and David Lee Roth’s “Just Like Paradise” and from there, finds the cast covering acts ranging from Styx and REO Speedwagon to Twisted Sister and even Thomas Dolby.