Theater

Zuckerberg sister Randi draws A-listers to ‘Rock of Ages’

Randi Zuckerberg, older sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, may be new to Broadway, but the 32-year-old has been reeling in A-listers ever since she debuted as Regina in “Rock of Ages” last Friday.

Everyone from Star Jones, “Real Housewives of New York” cast member Heather Thompson, Spotify founder Daniel Ek and “Orange is the New Black” star Uzo Aduba have gone to cheer on their social media pal during her two-week onstage stint.

“My good friend Darren Criss, who is on ‘Glee,’ popped into the matinee yesterday,” says Zuckerberg.

“Arianna Huffington, who has been a real mentor to me, is coming to the show this weekend. And on my opening night, I had flowers from Katie Couric awaiting me backstage.”

The Zuckerberg family — Randi (from left), brother Mark, dad Ed, mom Karen and sister Arielle — at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto in 2005.Sherry Tesler/Polaris

It’s just another newsfeed-worthy moment in Zuckerberg’s life, which has taken her from being one of the first 20 hires at Facebook in 2005 to CEO of Zuckerberg Media, a consulting firm.

In between it all, she’s gotten married, had a child, published two books, and serenaded the Israeli prime minister and president at the Davos Shabbat dinner in Switzerland in January.

She was tapped for the role of Regina in February after “Rock of Ages” producers caught a TED talk Zuckerberg had given last March titled “Social Media and Broadway.” When they Googled the limelight-loving lady, they uncovered a treasure trove of videos of Zuckerberg singing with her cover band, FeedBomb, comprised of current and past Facebook employees.

They asked Zuckerberg to join the cast in celebration of the show’s five-year anniversary. “When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense for a show to do,” says Zuckerberg, who lives in Palo Alto with her nearly 3-year-old son Asher and husband Brent Tworetzky, whom she started dating when they were both Harvard undergrads.

“If they’re trying to reach a new audience, not only do they have to look at talent and casting, but they also have to look at how many people does this person reach. How big of an audience does this person bring in?”

Zuckerberg has been making the world her stage ever since leaving Facebook in August 2011, where she last served as the director of marketing. “I miss Facebook like you miss an awesome vacation you went on,” she says. “You have nostalgia for the amazing time you had, but you know you could never re-create it.”

Randi Zuckerberg grooves onstage with her “Rock of Ages” co-stars.John Lamparski/Getty Images

There were no hard feelings when Zuckerberg departed, though there was some relief. “I don’t have anyone breathing over my shoulder saying, ‘Why aren’t you using Facebook?’ ” she says.

She and her brother remain very close, as does the rest of the family, which includes two younger sisters. “We all live within one hour of each other,” says Zuckerberg. “My parents just moved to California at the beginning of this year. They are officially out there. My dad sold his dental office and retired,” she says.

Now that Zuckerberg has built-in baby-sitters with her newly local parents, she’s free to pursue whatever it is she dreams up next.

There are already some early talks of her continuing her Broadway career, “which would be a dream come true,” says Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, Jim Henson Productions is turning her children’s book, “Dot,” into a television show that will teach kids how to be good digital citizens.

And she’d like to have another child.

Luckily, Zuckerberg says her hoodie-loving brother doesn’t need much help in the uncle department. “Mark is a great dad to his dog, Beast,” says Zuckerberg, “so technically he took care of a living creature even before I did.”