Throw on some acid-washed denim and don't forget the eyeliner. Eighties rock is ready to roll into Pittsburgh.

Tony Award best musical nominee "Rock of Ages," the latest in PNC's Broadway Across America: Pittsburgh series, is a gleeful ode to big dreams and big hair.

Getting his Journey on is Constantine Maroulis, who plays Drew, a good-hearted rocker trying to make it big in LA. It's a boy-meets-girl, girl-meets-other boy love story that showcases more than two dozen songs from the heart of the 1980s.

Mr. Maroulis is best known as a 2005 finalist on "American Idol" but has a legit theater pedigree. After earning a degree in fine arts from the Boston Conservatory, he acted in plays and musicals, including a stint on Broadway in "The Wedding Singer."

He was a Best Actor Tony nominee for "Rock of Ages," and since this type of role "doesn't come around very often," Mr. Maroulis said, he chose to tour with it.

Loudly infusing the Broadway esthetic with the kind of tunes that first put the "music" in MTV, "Rock of Ages" is still playing in New York. It became part of the recent swing toward rock as theater, where Green Day's "American Idiot" continues to shake the walls and the newly arrived "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" reimagines the seventh U.S. president as a rock star, tight pants and all.

And the technically troubled "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," should it ever take flight, has songs by U2 frontman Bono.

"We can never forget the traditional Broadway musical; I grew up with the songs of R and H [Rodgers and Hammerstein] and all of those beautiful shows and music and voices, and would love to be a part of that again," Mr. Maroulis said.

"But I think the new fashion of Broadway is the smaller, more contemporary sound. ... I think it's great that young composers like Duncan Sheik ["Spring Awakening"] and classic bands like Green Day and U2 are writing musicals. Who's going to be the next Jonathan Larson?"

Unlike the late Mr. Larson's "Rent," and two Broadway series shows coming to Pittsburgh -- "Next to Normal" (April 2011) and the revival of "Hair" (February 2011) -- which have original scores, "Rock of Ages" is a jukebox compilation of songs woven into a story that pays homage to those Broadway love stories of yore.

"It's got elements of 1930s and 1940s slapstick comedy. It's got the big lights and the big sounds and the sexy girls," Mr. Maroulis said, laughing. "It's a full-on rock and roll concert where the boy meets the girl and there's the villain who threatens to ruin their world."

He paused a beat, adding, "Madness ensues."

It's been a pretty crazy time for Mr. Maroulis, who also is working on his cabaret act, "A Night at the Rock Show," in addition to touring. He shot to attention when he finished sixth on "Idol" as one of the first successful singers with a rock flavor.

Playing 24 cities over the next seven months has that road show vibe to it, and Mr. Maroulis said he's enjoying the ride.

"I think the new cast energizes me, and we are playing beautiful new theaters every week. ... This is a show a lot of actors wanted to be in and I think the reaction from the crowd, the buzz, is incredible.

"It's a great show to be a part of."

Co-starring are Rebecca Faulkenberry as the girl, Sherrie, MiG Ayesa as rocker Stacee Jaxx, Patrick Lewallen as narrator Lonny and Nick Cordero as nightclub owner Dennis.

Director Kristin Hanggi earned one of the show's five Tony noms, as did costume designer Gregory Gal, with book by Chris D'Arienzo, choreography by Kelly Devine, original arrangements by David Gibbs and scenic design by Beowulf Boritt.

A note to parents: Rock of Ages contains content that may not be appropriate for children under 14 -- even in the new era of MTV.

"This music speaks to so many generations," Mr. Maroulis said. "The teenagers who are just discovering it, the 20somethings who think of it as their 'classic rock,' the 30-, 40- and 50-year olds who enjoyed it the first time around."

First Published: November 21, 2010, 10:00 a.m.