Broadway's Chicago to Welcome Ryoko Yonekura as Roxie Hart
(© Junji Ishiguro)
Broadway's Chicago has announced that Japanese superstar and actress Ryoko Yonekura will return to the production in the role of Roxie Hart for 11 performances only July 3-July 13 at the Ambassador Theatre.
Yonekura originated the role of Roxie Hart in the Japanese-language production of Chicago in 2008 and played it once again in 2010. She then learned the role in English and made her Broadway debut in 2012. Following her return to Broadway this year, Yonekura will join the Chicago U.S. national touring company in Tokyo August 2-13 at the Tokyu Theater Orb.
Chicago currently stars former Spice Girl Mel B as Roxie Hart (through February 19), Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly, Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, NaTasha Yvette Williams as Matron "Mama" Morton, and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine.
Featuring classic tunes by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart, a nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media, and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer to transform her crime into a barrage of sensational headlines. Recipient of six 1997 Tony Awards, the revival is directed by Walter Bobbie.
