Plastic Pitcher,Plastic Juice Pitcher - Can't fight this '80s feeling

First came the heckles from some idiot in the cheap seats. Next, a splatter as he launched his plastic pitcher of beer through the air. Then came the dull thud of fist on face as one soaked gent took offence. Plastic juice pitcher Finally, the swift swoop of a bouncer, who escorted the tosser (of beer and heckles) out the door. I'm pretty sure he went home that night with a whole new appreciation of the words ''Broadway hit''.

You wouldn't get a stoush in the stalls at Cats or Billy Elliott, say, but Rock of Ages - the Australian production of which will open in Melbourne in April 2011 - is no ordinary Broadway show. Described by its American producers as a ''hybrid of theatre and rock concert'', it is a raucous event at which the audience is encouraged to drink (ushers take orders during the show), sing along loudly, and wave fake LED cigarette lighters in the air in time to the slower numbers. There's a bit of a singles scene at the upstairs bar, a thriving online fan base, and an audience that skews towards first-timers (20 per cent have never been to a Broadway show before) and diehards (one woman claims to have seen it 137 times).

Set in the fictional Bourbon Bar on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip in the ''mid to late '80s'', Rock of Ages is a cheesy romantic comedy told through some of the biggest hits, and biggest hair, of the period. It's a jukebox musical - a show that uses well-known songs rather than purpose-built music and lyrics - and it's a certified hit, having sold about $30 million worth of tickets in the past year.