Obba Babatunde Will Return to Broadway in Chicago

Tony Award nominee Obba Babatunde will make his first Broadway appearance in more than 20 years when he joins the cast of Chicago on April 17 in the role of Billy Flynn. Smokey Robinson had been announced for the role but had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts

Babatunde, who will remain with Chicago through June 11, first played Billy in the show’s first national tour in 1997. He made his Broadway debut in 1978 in Timbuktu. In 1980, he appeared in two other short-lived musicals, Reggae and It’s So Nice to Be Civilized. In 1981, he created the role of C.C. White in Dreamgirls, for which he received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His most recent Broadway appearance was in Grind in 1985.

John O’Hurley, the current Billy, will leave the show on April 16; he has been tapped to host a new edition of the TV game show Family Feud. Chicago‘s two female leads will also change during the month of April: Charlotte d’Amboise will return to the role of Roxie Hart on April 17, replacing Robin Givens; and, beginning April 24, Brenda Braxton will once again play Velma Kelly.