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Breaking News: Samantha Barks, Drew Carey, Lucy Lawless & Stephen Moyer to Star in CHICAGO at the Hollywood Bowl

By: Jun. 20, 2013
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The Hollywood Bowl's upcoming production of CHICAGO, the musical which holds the record as the third longest running show in Broadway history, will star Samantha Barks as Velma, Drew Carey as Amos, Lucy Lawless as Mama Morton, and Stephen Moyer as Billy.

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A special announcement will be made at a later date to announce the casting of Roxie Hart.

Barks made her film debut as Éponine in the film version of the long-running musical LES MISERABLES. For the film, she received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture, and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Cast and Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer.

Carey is the current host of The Price Is Right. He is also known for his television seriesThe Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway? Carey previously appeared at the Hollywood Bowl as Wilbur Turnblad in the summer production of the Tony-winning musical Hairspray.

Lawless is best known for her starring roles on Spartacus and Xena: Warrior Princess, as well as her recurring roles on Battlestar Galactica and Parks and Recreation. She made her Broadway debut in the hit revival of Grease.

Moyer currently stars in the award winning HBO series, True Blood and directed the season 6 premiere episode, which earned rave reviews and chart topping ratings. On the silver screen, his film credits include Priest, The Double, 88 Minutes and Quills. Moyer is no stranger to theater; he worked with The National Theatre of Wales, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Oxford Stage Company and the Young Vic while in England.

Brooke Shields will direct the fully staged production of CHICAGO at the Hollywood Bowl.
Shields starred in CHICAGO both on Broadway and in London's West End and this marks her directing debut. Rob Fisher will serve as the conductor of the production. Fisher's association with the show began with the 1996 Broadway revival and he continues to be supervising music director of CHICAGo Productions around the globe.

Commenting on the announcement, Brooke Shields says, "I have a great feeling about this entire cast. I am excited for everyone to see how brilliant Samantha Barks is on stage. We've seen Stephen Moyer sing on True Blood - and that dark, sexy side of Billy will be well served by hiM. Drew played the Dad in Hairspray at the Bowl two years ago, and he will bring not only comedy but depth to our Amos. I wouldn't say no to anything Lucy Lawless ordered me to do...as "Mama" or in life!! And let's not forget the most exciting character ... the Bowl itself!"

Rob Fisher says, "I couldn't be more thrilled about this brilliant cast for CHICAGO - a convergence of talents that will raise this great musical to new heights and send it soaring out of the Bowl. All of them new to the piece, they each bring the necessary skills and celebrity to enliven this story in a way never seen before, and lucky for me, I'll be standing right in the middle of the glamour and the music."

CHICAGO will have three performances at the Hollywood Bowl - Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27 at 8:00pm, and Sunday, July 28 at 7:30pm. Subscriptions and single tickets are available now for the Hollywood Bowl 2013 summer season at HollywoodBowl.com or Ticketmaster.com, or via phone at 323.850.2000 or800.745.3000 and in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office. For more information, please call 323.850.2000.

CHICAGO has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she reported on. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal."

The recent history of Broadway musicals at the Hollywood Bowl is nothing short of spectacular, including RENT (starring Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Scherzinger, and Wayne Brady, directed by Neil Patrick Harris), HAIRSPRAY (starring Harvey Fierstein, Drew Carey, John Stamos, and Nick Jonas, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell) and THE PRODUCERS (starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Kind, Rebecca Romijn, and Dane Cook, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman).

The original Broadway production opened in 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 936 performances until 1977. Bob Fosse also choreographed the original production. CHICAGO was revived on Broadway in 1996, and a year later in the West End. The Broadway revival holds the record for the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, and is the third longest-running show in Broadway history having played more than 6,700 performances to date. The West End revival ran for nearly 15 years, becoming the longest-running American musical in West End history, and it has enjoyed several tours and international productions. The Academy Award-winning 2002 film version of the musical was directed by Rob Marshall.

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and is home to the best and brightest in all genres of music. It remains one of the best deals in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. The venue offers something for everyone, from its sizzling summer evening concerts to the daytime summer arts festival for children, "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," now in its 44th season. In February 2013, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the ninth year in a row at the 24th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. The Hollywood Bowl has become synonymous with summer in Southern California. http://www.HollywoodBowl.com




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