Bianca Marroquín, Ana Villafañe, Lillias White to Star in Chicago on Broadway
(© David Gordon/Emilio G. Hernandez)
When the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago resumes performances at the Ambassador Theatre on September 14, it will be led by a trio of Broadway stars: Ana Villafañe, who made her Broadway debut as Gloria Estefan in On Your Feet!, will play Roxie Hart; Bianca Marroquín, who has played Roxie on and off for nearly two decades, has graduated to the role of Velma Kelly; and Tony winner Lillias White (The Life) will portray Matron Mama Morton (a role she played for much of 2006).
Longtime cast members rejoining the cast are Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart and Ryan Lowe as Mary Sunshine. The ensemble includes David Bushman, Jennifer Dunne, Jessica Ernest, Jeff Gorti, Arian Keddell, Mary Claire King, Barrett Martin, Sharon Moore, Drew Nellessen, Celina Nightengale, Brian O’Brien, Denny Paschall, Angel Reda, Jermaine R. Rembert, Michael Scirrotto, Christine C. Smith, and Brian Spitulnik.
Casting for the role of Billy Flynn is still forthcoming.
Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and 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 malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids. The production, Broadway’s longest-running American musical, marks its 25th anniversary in November.
With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Chicago is directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by the late Ann Reinking. The production features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington, and sound design by Scott Lehrer.
