Chester See to play Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages

YouTube sensation Chester See will join the Broadway company of the five-time Tony Award nominated musical comedy Rock of Ages, currently playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre, in the role of Stacee Jaxx. His limited engagement begins on 27 October and runs through to 4 January 2015. Mitchell Jarvis will play his last performance in the role on 26 October 2014.

Chester's self-titled YouTube channel has over 1.5 million subscribers and over 160 million channel views. A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Theater Arts, he is a singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and producer, who will be making his Broadway debut this month.

"Continuing our journey as Broadway's renegade musical, our team stays dedicated to thinking outside the box and defying traditional theater norms within every level of the production," says producer Matt Weaver. "Today's freshest young talents are emerging online through this 'new media' revolution, and we're thrilled to be the first on Broadway to recognize the growing importance of digital platforms for reaching new audiences. Chester is an incredible artist, and just as our songs have transcended generations, we're certain his star power will shine brightly on the Broadway stage, as it does on monitors across the globe."

Rock of Ages opened on Broadway on 7 Apr 2009 at the Brooks Atkinson, where it previewed from 17 Mar 2009. The show played its final performance at the Brooks Atkinson on 9 Jan 2011, it then resumed performances at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre on 24 Mar 2011, and is currently booking through to 29 March 2015.

Synopsis: 'In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA's most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the '80s. It's an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Foreigner and many more.'

Rock of Ages opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to mixed reviews: "A seriously silly, absurdly enjoyable arena-rock musical" (New York Times), "An irresistible, offbeat trip of a show that hits all the right notes." (NY1); "Cheesy exercise in rock nostalgia" (Hollywood Reporter); "A somewhat glib nostalgia trip" (NewsDay).

The cast currently features Genson Blimline (Lonny), Mitchell Jarvis (Stacee Jaxx), Adam Dannheisser (Dennis), Cody Scott Lancaster (Franz), Constantine Maroulis (Drew), Josephine Rose Roberts (Regina), Carrie St. Louis (Sherrie), Paul Schoeffler (Hertz) and Teresa Stanley (Justice).

The show is written by Chris D'Arienzo, directed by Kristin Hanggi and choreographed by Kelly Devine (Jersey Boys - Associate Choreographer).

Scenic design is by Beowulf Boritt, costume design is by Gregory Gale, lighting design is by Jason Lyons (The Threepenny Opera) and sound design is by Peter Hylenski.

Rock of Ages is produced on Broadway by Matthew Weaver, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, Barry Habib, Scott Prisand, and Corner Store Fund I, in association with Janet Billig Rich, Hillary Weaver, Toni Habib, Stefany & Simon Bergson, Charles Rolecek, Susanne Brook, Israel Wolfson, Max Gottlieb, Jennifer Maloney and Prospect Pictures.

The musical was adapted into a comedy musical film which was released in Jun 2012. Directed by Adam Shankman, it stars Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise.

- by Tom Millward