“Rock of Ages” is technically a jukebox musical: a stage presentation of comedy, drama and song in which, instead of using original songs, the writers build a story out of existing music, re-purposing it to retrofit a plot or a plot point. Think “Mamma Mia.”

But really, the jukebox that matters is the list of songs on videogames like “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero.” They seem to make up the soundtrack for “Rock of Ages,” both in its long-running Broadway incarnation and now in the new film version. (More…)