NEW YORK (AP) – How does a young, relatively inexperienced creative team bring a love letter to 1980s hair bands to the Broadway stage? The key, it seems, is not to take any of it too seriously.

Now at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, "Rock of Ages" is a silly, raucous jukebox musical featuring the biggest power ballads and glam rock hits of the '80s – including Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" by Poison.

On a recent afternoon before a preview performance, writer Chris D'Arienzo, director Kristin Hanggi and choreographer Kelly Devine, looked like they had been spending long hours in the theatre. But it was clear during an interview filled with affectionate banter that they were relishing the pre-opening night frenzy.

The trio has shepherded the show from its first workshop during the summer of 2005 in a packed club on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, through an off-Broadway run last year to reach this moment.

Devine comes with the most Broadway experience, having served as associate choreographer of another jukebox musical – the Tony Award-winning hit "Jersey Boys". Hanggi's previous projects include the star-studded "Pussycat Dolls Live at the Roxy" in Los Angeles – featuring Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera; "Rock of Ages" is her directorial debut on Broadway.

After signing on, she said her first priority was to find a writer who could capture the show's playful, self-aware tone.

"It really wanted to be a guys' musical," she said. "And it wanted to be funny. So I needed to find someone who was hilarious and who could tap into a really straight man's point of view to tell the story."

She found Los Angeles-based screenwriter D'Arienzo, who also came to "Rock of Ages" without Broadway credits.

After talking through his ideas with Hanggi, D'Arienzo sealed the deal by making producers Matthew Weaver and Carl Levin laugh during his interview.

"I remember I was wearing like my Journey concert tee – it was sleeveless," D'Arienzo said. "And I threw my bag into the room before I walked in. I figured I had to make a rock star entrance or they wouldn't hire me."

The jukebox musical genre has had some monster hits in recent years – namely "Mamma Mia!" and "Jersey Boys" – as well as its share of major flops. "Lennon" and "The Times They Are A-Changin", which featured the music of John Lennon and Bob Dylan respectively, were among the biggest disappointments.

"There are other jukebox musicals that haven't really worked," said Constantine Maroulis, who stars in "Rock of Ages" as a young musician dreaming of fame. The former "American Idol" finalist credits D'Arienzo for striking the right balance between the show's music and its plot, which centres on a romance that blossoms in a rock club. "He's really crafted the material into the heart of the story so well, and I think that's what connects with people," he said.

One factor working in favour of "Rock of Ages", D'Arienzo said, is that it draws from a large catalog of music, rather than just one artist's songs, which gave him more freedom to experiment with the story.

Other jukebox musicals were also handicapped, he said, by feelings of reverence for the source material. "While ('80s rock) is beloved by so many people, the fans of it don't have a preciousness about it that they would say like Elvis Presley or John Lennon or Bob Dylan," he said.