Overview
- The production announced on Thursday, August 20, 2026, that Tony winner Ali Stroker and Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez will join the Off‑Broadway revival at New World Stages.
- Stroker will succeed Alex Newell as Rona Lisa Peretti and Hernandez will take over Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, with both performers beginning shows on September 7 and staying through the scheduled October 11 closing.
- Alex Newell and Laura Marano will give their final performances on September 6, creating a clear handoff between the departing leads and the incoming guest cast.
- The move pairs Stroker’s established theater credentials and disability representation with Hernandez’s broad pop‑culture profile, a casting strategy intended to sustain audience interest in the run’s final weeks.
- The revival, directed by Danny Mefford and featuring Jon Cryer among the company, opened November 16, 2025, and producers and management are using successor casting to support ticket sales and publicity through the production’s nearly one‑year engagement.