Ace Young to Join Touring Company of Grease

Taylor Hicks, who has been playing the Teen Angel in Grease for the better part of 2 years will be joined by fellow Season 5 American Idol contestant Ace Young in the touring company of Grease starting at Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC on Dec 1! According to BroadwayWorld, the producers of the Tony Award nominated new Broadway production of GREASE™ are pleased to announced the following new cast members for the national tour: Ace Young as “Danny,” Laura D’Andre as “Rizzo,” Allison Fischer as “Patty Simcox,” Jesse JP Johnson as “Doody,” and Jamison Scott as “Eugene.” The new cast members join the tour in Charlotte, NC, where the show plays Ovens Auditorium December 1 – 6.

Ace Young made his Broadway debut in GREASE™ in the role of “Kenickie” last fall. An “American Idol” finalist in Season 5 and a Grammy nominated songwriter, Ace has guest-starred on Fox’s “Bones,” co-hosted “American Idol Extra” and co-produced his debut album, Ace Young.

As was previously announced, Lauren Ashley Zakrin stars as “Sandy.” Lauren Ashley Zakrin was most recently seen as the understudy for “Elle Woods” in the first national tour of Legally Blonde The Musical. She was a finalist on MTV’s “Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods.”

Laura D’Andre’s credits include Petra in A Little Night Music (White Plains) and Eponine in Les Miserables (San Diego). Allison Fischer originated the role of “Patty Simcox” in the new Broadway production of GREASE™ and the role of “Claudia” in the Broadway production of Lestat. Jesse JP Johnson appeared on Broadway and Off-Broadway in Xanadu, Glory Days and Altar Boyz. Jamison Scott originated the role of “Eugene” in the new Broadway production of GREASE™ and appeared in the Las Vegas companies of Hairspray and Saturday Night Fever.

“American Idol” Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks continues to star as “Teen Angel.” Taylor Hicks made his debut on Broadway in the role. He achieved widespread fame in 2006 as a contestant on the hugely successful FOX singing competition “American Idol.” The tour also stars Will Blum as “Roger,” Bridie Carroll as “Jan,” Kate Morgan Chadwick as “Frenchy,” Kelly Felthous as “Marty,” Dominic Fortuna as “Vince Fontaine,” Roxie Lucas as “Miss Lynch,” David Ruffin as “Kenickie,” and Nick Verina as “Sonny.”

The ensemble features Joseph Corella, Preston Ellis, Erin Henry, Ruby Lewis, Dayla Perkins, Mark Raumaker, Mike Russo, Matthew William Schmidt, Christina Sivrich and Elizabeth Stacey.

After spending a hopelessly devoted summer with Sandy Dumbrowski, the new girl in town, Danny Zuko's world is thrown upside down when Sandy appears at Rydell High on the first day of school. What follows is a rock n' roll celebration of growin' up, cruisin' with friends and goin' steady. The new production of GREASE™ features songs from the smash hit 1978 motion picture for the first time ever in a Broadway production including “Sandy,” the Academy Award nominated song “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Grease” and “You’re the One That I Want” - both of which were #1 hits on the Billboard Top 100 list. These songs will be heard in addition to the Jacobs/Casey songs made famous by the original stage production: “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” and “We Go Together.”

Directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall (The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town), GREASE™ features book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Additional songs from the movie are by Barry Gibb, John Farrar, Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon. GREASE™ features scenic design by Tony Award winner Derek McLane (33 Variations), costume design by two-time Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Kiss Me Kate), lighting design by Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Wicked) and sound design by Brian Ronan (Spring Awakening, Curtains).

GREASE™ is produced on tour by Paul Nicholas and David Ian, Nederlander Presentations, Inc. and Terry Allen Kramer by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.

The national tour of GREASE™ continues as follows:

- December 1 – 6, at Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC
- December 8 – 13, at the Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI
- December 15 – 20, at the Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford, CT
- January 12 – 24, at the Fox Theatre, St Louis, MO
- January 26 – 31, at Proctor’s Theatre, Schenectady, NY
- February 9 – 21, at the National Theatre, Washington DC
- February 23 – 28, at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee, WI
- March 9 – 14, at the Benedum Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- March 16 – 21, at the Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY
- March 23 – 28, at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
- April 7 – 18, at the Canon Theatre, Toronto, ONT
- April 20 -25, at the Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
- April 27 – May 2, at the Times Union Center, Jacksonville, FL
- May 4 – 9, at the Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, AR
- May 11 – 23, at the Palace Theatre, Cleveland, OH
- June 1 – 13, at the Opera House, Boston, MA