Glee's Dot-Marie Jones Joins the Cast of ROCK OF AGES at New World Stages as the First Woman to Play Dennis Dupree

Producer Michael Cohl/S2BN Entertainment, in association with Barry Habib, Scott Prisand/Seth Fass, Tony Smith, and Randi Zuckerberg/Mara Burros-Sandler have announced that three-time Emmy Award nominee Dot-Marie Jones ("Glee") will make her New York stage debut as Bourbon Room owner Dennis Dupree in the 10th Anniversary Production of Rock of Ages at New World Stages (340 W 50th St) for eight weeks only, from February 24 through April 19, 2020.

Dot-Marie Jones made a memorable star turn on FOX's megahit television series "Glee" as Coach Beiste, earning three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. In its third season, the show received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. With an expansive list of diverse film and television credits, Jones is known for her poignant roles in both drama and comedy. In 2017, Dot performed in her first theatre production of Our Town with the Deaf West Company at The Pasadena Playhouse.

The first woman to play the role of Dennis, Jones joins the ranks of rock legend Dee Snider and Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin, who have played the role on stage and screen, respectively. The role was originated on Broadway by Obie Award winner Adam Dannheisser (Beetlejuice, Fiddler on the Roof). 10th Anniversary cast member Matt Ban will return to the role on April 20, 2020.

ROCK OF AGES opened on Broadway on April 7, 2009, for a monumental six-year run of 2,350 performances, carving the musical a spot in the Broadway history books as one of the Top 30 Longest-running Shows of All Time. In honor of the show's landmark 10th anniversary, this New World Stage's production reunites Rock of Ages' award-winning Broadway creative team - Chris D'Arienzo's hilarious original story is mounted at New World Stages by Tony-nominated director Kristin Hanggi (Clueless) and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Kelly Devine (Come From Away), in participation with the musical's original Broadway design team: scenic design by Beowulf Boritt (Come From Away), costume design by Gregory Gale (The Wedding Singer), lighting design by Jason Lyons (Bring It On: The Musical), sound design is by Peter Hylenski (Frozen), and projection design is by Zachary Borovay (In The Heights). KGM Theatrical serves as General Manager, with casting by Stewart/Whitley. The anniversary production, originally scheduled as a sixteen-week engagement through October 6, 2019, began performances on June 19, 2019 and is now playing an open-ended run.

The 10th Anniversary cast stars CJ Eldred (Desperate Measures) as Drew, Kirsten Scott (Jersey Boys) as Sherrie, and P.J. Griffith (American Idiot) as Stacee Jaxx, with original Broadway cast members Mitchell Jarvis (Gettin' the Band Back Together) and Paul Schoeffler reprising their roles of Lonny and Hertz. Completing the company are Dane Biren ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel") as Franz, Tiffany Engen (Legally Blonde) as Regina, and Amma Osei (A Night with Janis Joplin) as Justice/Mother, original National Tour cast member Danielle Marie Gonzalez as Waitress #1, Las Vegas alumni Ashley E. Matthews and Leah Read, Michael Mahany (Spring Awakening), Mekhai Lee (The Color Purple National Tour), Kevin Michael Raponey (A Chorus Line National Tour), Justin Colombo (Kinky Boots), and Autumn Guzzardi (9 to 5).

ROCK OF AGES had its world premiere in January 2006 at The Vanguard Hollywood nightclub in Los Angeles, where it played a six-week engagement before opening a limited run at The Flamingo in Las Vegas in May 2006. The musical made its New York debut in October 2008 at New World Stages, before transferring to Broadway and opening to widespread critical acclaim at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in April 2009. The musical moved to the Helen Hayes Theatre on March 24, 2011, where it continued its triumphant run for another four years, grossing $129 million and breaking the theater's box office record ten times.

In addition to being a bona fide hit on Broadway, Rock of Ages has rocked the Las Vegas Strip at The Venetian Resort; the open seas on Norwegian's cruise ship The Breakaway; and the open road with four U.S. National Tours. Internationally, the show was also a runaway success in Toronto, Australia, London's West End, on U.K. tour, and has licensed productions in Mexico, Sweden, Korea, Japan, The Philippines, and more. In 2012, Rock of Ages hit the silver screen as a major motion picture starring Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Brian Cranston, and more.