Justin Lee Collins to star in Rock of Ages

TV presenter Justin Lee Collins is to star in a West End version of hit Broadway show Rock of Ages.

Set in 1987, the musical - which uses classic rock anthems - centres on an aspiring rocker who chases his dreams to Los Angeles.

Collins will play bar owner and ageing hippy Dennis Dupree, originally played in the US by Tenacious D's Kyle Gass.

The show opens at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 27 September with previews from 31 August 2011.

Featuring music from bands like Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Poison and Pat Benatar, it includes more than 20 hits including The Final Countdown, Don't Stop Believin', Dead or Alive and We Built This City.

"Being a fan of bands like Whitesnake, Foreigner, Journey and Bon Jovi, I couldn't resist when I heard about the chance to appear in the show," Collins said.

"What young lad hasn't strummed the air guitar to the classic riffs of those poodle-haired rock bands of the 80's? Now I'll get to do it on stage every night!"

It will be Collins's second time in the West End after appearing in three performances of Chicago as Mr Cellophane as part of a TV series for Sky in 2009.

Rock of Ages premiered in Los Angeles in 2006 and opened Off-Broadway in October 2008 before transferring to Broadway a year later.

The show, which was nominated for five Tony awards, is currently being made into a Hollywood film, starring Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alec Baldwin.