Butler will play six performances a week in the role of Sherrie, the part created by Amy Spanger. The role's understudy will play the part for both Sunday performances.
In a statement lead producer Carl Levin said, "Kerry is one of my favorite Broadway performers and I cannot tell you how lucky we feel to have her. She's funny, she's beautiful, and most importantly she can sing like a rock star."
Prior to Xanadu, Kerry Butler was most recently on Broadway as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. She portrayed Penny Pingleton in the original Broadway cast of Hairspray, and her other Broadway credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Eponine in Les Misérables and Ms. Jones in Blood Brothers. Off-Broadway she was seen in Bat Boy The Musical, The "I" Word, Prodigal and The Folsom Head. She was also part of the cast of the musical The Opposite of Sex, which premiered in San Francisco. She was most recently seen in the Seattle premiere of Catch Me If You Can.
Rock of Ages premiered on Broadway March 17 and officially opened April 7 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Kristin Hanggi directs the Tony-nominated production that was penned by Chris D'Arienzo and features choreography by Kelly Devine and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp.
The Rock cast also features Constantine Maroulis as Drew, James Carpinello (Saturday Night Fever, VH1's "So NoTORIous") as Stacee Jaxx, Mitch Jarvis (Fiddler on the Roof) as Lonny, Don Stephenson as Hertz and Wesley Taylor (Addams Family) as Franz. The company includes Adam Dannheisser (The Coast of Utopia, Twelfth Night), Michele Mais (Roza), Lauren Molina (Sweeney Todd), Ericka Hunter (Flower Drum Song, 42nd Street), Jeremy Jordan (Little Dog Laughed tour), Michael Minarik (Les Miserables), Angel Reed (Saturday Night Fever tour), Bahiyah Sayyed-Gaines (Pal Joey, The Color Purple), Katherine Tokarz (White Christmas, A Chorus Line), Andre Ward (Xanadu, The Producers), Tad Wilson (The Full Monty) and Jeremy Woodard (Glory Days).
The onstage band, ARSENAL, comprises music director/keyboardist Henry Aronson, lead guitarist Joel Hoekstra, drummer Jon Weber, bassist Winston Roye and guitar player Tommy Kessler.
"In 1987 on the Sunset Strip," Rock of Ages production notes state, "a small town girl met a big city rocker and in L.A.'s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the '80s. . . . [The musical is] an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more."
The Brooks Atkinson Theatre is located in Manhattan at 256 West 47th Street. For tickets call (212) 307-4100 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
