(© Tristan Fuge)
Now in its 17th year on Broadway, the company of Chicago has announced a number of upcoming additions to its cast. Emmy Award nominee Paige Davis (Trading Spaces) will join the cast as Roxie Hart from August 13-28. Chicago veteran Terra C. MacLeod will take over the role of Velma Kelly through August 18, with Amra-Faye Wright replacing her on August 20. And Olivier Award nominee Carol Woods will reprise her role as Matron “Mama” Morton from August 20-28, following one week of performances from August 13-18 by Russian singer and actress Larisa Dolina, making her Broadway debut.
After completing their Broadway runs, Davis, MacLeod and Woods will kick off the new Chicago national tour alongside television star John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), who will take on the role of Billy Flynn. The tour is set to launch on Saturday, August 31, in Tacoma, Washington. O’Hurley has signed on to appear in a number of cities including Tacoma; Portland, Oregon; St. Louis; Madison, Wisconsin; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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.
The Broadway cast currently stars Amy Spanger as Roxie Hart (through Sunday, August 11), Alexander Gemignani as Billy Flynn, Paul C. Vogt as Amos Hart, television talk-show host Wendy Williams as Matron “Mama” Morton (through Sunday, August 11), and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine.
