THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: ON A STEEL HORSE IT RIDES…INTO BROADWAY HISTORY. Tony-nominated musical Rock of Ages to Take Final Broadway Bow After Six-Year Run

Rock of Ages is set to close after a six-year run on Broadway, it was announced on Tuesday morning.

The five-time Tony-nominated musical — which currently features original star Constantine Maroulis, YouTube personality Chester See and Big Brother star Frankie J. Grande, as well as original Broadway and tour castmembers — will play its final performance on Jan. 18.

“It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since our 45-minute showcase at King King, a little dive bar on Hollywood Boulevard. That was the night Rock of Ages came to life, and what this incredible team has achieved since is nothing short of triumphant,” said producer Matthew Weaver. “We landed Off-Broadway in the midst of the financial meltdown and yet, against all odds — thanks to the sheer determination, grit, naivety and enthusiasm of our dream team of creatives, actors and producers — opened on Broadway in the spring of 2009 to an overwhelming embrace from critics and audiences alike.”

Rock of Ages first premiered at Los Angeles’ Vanguard Hollywood nightclub in January 2006 for a six-week engagement, and then opened a limited run at The Flamingo in Las Vegas that May. The musical made its New York debut in October 2008 at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages, playing 110 performances before transferring to Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in April 2009. It then moved to The Helen Hayes Theatre in March 2011. The production recouped its $7.25 million capitalization in 2012, and has broken the Helen Hayes Theatre box office record 10 times.

The show is also currently running at The Venetian in Las Vegas and the Norwegian cruise ship The Breakaway, in addition to a third U.S. national tour and first U.K. national tour. It has also been staged in Toronto, Australia and London’s West End, and has licensed productions in several additional countries, including Mexico, Sweden, Korea, Japan and the Philippines. Adam Shankman‘s film adaptation, starring Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti,Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough, hit the big screen in 2012 and grossed $59 million worldwide.

“As a team we’ve experienced the greatest — and in many ways, unexpected — joys of having a hit show and being a part of the Broadway community,” added producer Jonathan Linden. “From performing at The Tony Awards, to the Super Bowl, and Times Square on New Year’s Eve, this has been the ride of a lifetime for the entire Rock of Ages family, and I am so proud of what we’ve all accomplished.”

Rock of Ages has grossed $125 million to date on Broadway. When it closes, the show will have played 22 previews and 2,328 regular performances, with an estimated audience of 1.5 million people.

Check it out at The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rock-ages-take-final-broadway-749860