The ”Chicago” veteran gets a special Broadway sendoff.
Last night, Donna Marie Asbury played her final performance in Broadway's Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre after 20 years in the cast. During her tenure, Asbury has played the ensemble role of June, and has covered the roles of Velma Kelly and Matron "Mama" Morton.
Each cast member handed a single long stem rose to Asbury as they took their bows, and following the curtain call, producers Barry and Fran Weissler took the stage to read letters from Chicago's director Walter Bobbie and choreographer Ann Reinking.
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 current cast of Chicago features Charlotte d'Amboise as Roxie Hart, Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine, NaTasha Yvette Williams as Matron "Mama" Morton, and Ryan Silverman as Billy Flynn.