Darius Rose AKA Jackie Cox To Join VAPE! THE GREASE PARODY For Five Performances Only
The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 12 finalist will appear as Teen Angel November 22–24 at Theater 555.
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Vape! The Grease Parody will welcome Darius Rose, also known as Jackie Cox, for five performances from November 22–24. Rose will appear as Teen Angel in the Off-Broadway engagement, which is running through January 4 at Theater 555. The production marks a brief return to Rydell High for Rose, who previously appeared as Teen Angel/Ms. Lynch with Musical Theatre West.
Rose was most recently seen Off-Broadway in Make Me Gorgeous and will make their feature film debut opposite Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue this winter. They are widely recognized from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 12 and regularly tour internationally with solo shows including Nurse Jackie and JackieVision. Additional television and film credits include recurring work on NBC/Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives,” Disney+’s “This Is Me: A Pride Celebration,” and multiple appearances on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live.”
The musical, by Catie Hogan and Sketchworks Comedy with lyrics and additional book by Billy Recce and Danny Salles, is produced by Sketchworks Comedy with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson as creative consultants. Directed by Jack Plotnick, Vape! offers a satirical take on Grease, reimagining its characters and plot points through contemporary humor and a parody framework established during the show’s successful fair-use legal battle.
The cast features Ryan Avoux as Kenickie, Dante Brattelli as Sonny, Jen Clark as Jan, Meg Guiney as Marty, Katie Kallaus as Teen Angel and Swing, Scott Silagy as Danny, SLee as Rizzo, Kristen Amanda Smith as Frenchy, and Lara Strong as Sandy, with Connor Neun as swing. The creative team includes choreographer Ashley Marinelli, music supervisor Lena Gabrielle, scenic designer David Goldstein, Costume Designer Matthew Solomon, lighting designer Zach Pizza, sound designer Daniel Lundberg, and props designer Brendan McCann. Visceral Entertainment serves as Executive Producer and General Manager, with Ian McQueen as Stage Manager and Cindi Rush as casting director.
Originally premiering in Atlanta in 2018, Vape! was scheduled for a New York premiere in 2019 before receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the rightsholders of Grease. Sketchworks Comedy filed a lawsuit asserting parody protections under fair use, and in a ruling by Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain, the court determined that Vape! qualifies as a parody. The production later returned in a one-night concert at Town Hall ahead of its current Off-Broadway run.
Vape! performs in repertory with Murdoch: The Final Interview at Theater 555 through December 28.
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