Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon performs yesterday at the Rock of Ages announcement. (Stan Behal, Sun Media)

TORONTO - The hair might not be as big -- and what's there is definitely more than liberally streaked with grey.

But, if nothing else, the presence of Twisted Sister's Dee Snider and REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin served to underscored the fact that, title notwithstanding, the next big production at the Royal Alexandra Theatre will most definitely not be "your grandma's Rock of Ages."

Which apparently was just fine with the audience assembled for David Mirvish's announcement that the venerable show palace that has played host to everything from Hair and Godspell to Rent and Mamma Mia and the Buddy Holly Story is preparing to set yet another generation afloat on a sea of rock nostalgia, when Rock of Ages, currently packing them in on Broadway, has its Toronto premiere late next April.

Described on one website as "Mamma Mia for dudes," Rock of Ages is written by Chris D'Arienzo, directed by Kristin Hanggi and choreographed by Kelly Devine.

Conceived in Hollywood and refined in an acclaimed off-Broadway production, Rock of Ages is built around the rock hits of the '80s and earned a total of five Tony nominations including best musical after its April opening on the Great White Way.

Set in 1987 on the Sunset Strip, R of A tells the story of a small-town girl and a big-city rocker, played out against a soundtrack of the '80s, including tunes by Journey, Foreigner, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and a host of others.

In fact, producers and co-conceivers Matthew Weaver and Carl Levin, on hand for yesterday's announcement, brag that the artists sampled in R of A's rockin' score have collectively sold more than 600 million records.

But even though they recognized that the music they were working with was representative of "one of the worst reviewed genres in (rock) history," Weaver said yesterday following the announcement of the Toronto engagement, "We knew from the start we had something.

"These were seminal songs for me, and we were just blinded by passion."

Mirvish, for his part, claims to have missed the era musically -- "I must have been asleep during the '80s and now I'm getting a second chance," he says -- but it didn't take him long to figure out that this was a show for Toronto audiences when he got a glimpse of it in its Broadway incarnation.

"I knew by the first 10 minutes of the show," he recalls, "I knew I was having fun within the first 10 minutes and if I get caught up in it, I think I should do it."

A continent-wide talent search is already underway for the Toronto cast, and an open audition call is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 at Estonian House, 58 Broadview Ave. They'll be looking for singers and actors, ages 20s to 40s, male and female, all races, sizes and shapes. No professional experience is necessary and hopefuls should show up with a photo, a resume and sheet music in the correct key to enable them to sing 16 bars of an '80s rock tune.

Tickets for the Toronto production of Rock of Ages are currently available to Mirvish subscribers, with single tickets available to the general public, priced from $28 to $99, on sale Nov. 28.

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