Cheyenne Jackson Skates Into Xanadu as Delayed Musical's New Sonny

Cheyenne Jackson, best known as the hip-swiveling lead in Broadway's Elvis musical All Shook Up, will assume the role of Sonny in Xanadu on Friday, June 22. Jackson, who appeared in early readings of the musical, replaces James Carpinello, who was forced to temporarily leave the production after sustaining an injury during a roller-skating rehearsal on Tuesday. Xanadu will no longer open as scheduled on June 26, although no new opening date has been set yet.

In a statement, Jackson said: "I'm excited to join the cast of Xanadu while James Carpinello recovers—my heart goes out to him, as he spent months working on this project, only to be injured so close to opening night. I am honored to borrow his skates. I owe a lot to [director] Christopher Ashley and [writer] Douglas Carter Beane and would gladly paint their apartments if they called and asked."

Jackson made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of the Tony-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. He went on to stand by for the leading role of Radames in the Disney hit Aida and was also seen in the off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz when it premiered as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Jackson left that show to take the lead role in All Shook Up at the Palace Theater, which ran for six months and won him a Theatre World Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. Last year, the openly-gay actor won acclaim for playing gay hero Mark Bingham, one of the real-life characters in the Oscar-nominated film United 93.

In Xanadu, based on the mega-flop movie musical of the same name, the nine muses from ancient Greece come to life on a Venice Beach wall mural. While roller skating on the beach, one of the daughters, Kira Kerry Butler, meets and falls for a frustrated record album cover artist named Sonny Jackson. Enter Danny McGuire Tony Roberts, an aging song and dance man who Kira inspired back when he owned a supper club in New York in the 40s. Together, with the magical help of Kira, Sonny and Danny team up to build and open a roller disco nightclub called Xanadu.

Directed by Christopher Ashley and written by Douglas Carter Beane featuring songs from the movie and more, Xanadu also stars Jackie Hoffman as Calliope, Mary Testa as Melpomeny, Curtis Holbrook, Anika Larsen, Kenita R. Miller, Marty Thomas and Andre Ward. Ward has been playing the role of Sonny in Carpinello's absence.