On Monday, November 14, the internationally acclaimed revival of John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's Tony Award-winning musical CHICAGO celebrates another major milestone with its 15th anniversary on Broadway!
"What an incredible year of milestones this has been!" said producer
Barry Weissler. "We started off in January with CHICAGO Fan Day, which marked the first time in Broadway history that a show gave away an entire performance to its fans for free. In March, we broke the record to become the fifth-longest running show in Broadway history. Then in August, we surpassed A Chorus Line to become the fourth longest-running, and in that same moment we became the longest-running American show in Broadway history. Now in November, we celebrate 15 years. I can't wait to see what December brings!"
CHICAGO will also welcome back "Seinfeld" and "Family Feud" star
John O'Hurley to the role of
Billy Flynn for a limited engagement beginning Tuesday, November 1. That same day, O'Hurley will be joined by two-time Tony Award nominee and celebrated CHICAGO veteran
Charlotte d'Amboise as
Roxie Hart, and CHICAGO newcomer
Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines as Velma Kelly.
One of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive,"
John O'Hurley has become one of television's busiest and most versatile actors, show hosts, advertising heroes and feature film stars. The award-winning actor is best known as J. Peterman on "Seinfeld," which is now the #1 syndicated series in 85 countries throughout the world.
O'Hurley danced his way into the hearts of America as the ultimate champion of the highly rated ABC series "Dancing with the Stars." He can also be seen weekly as the host of the popular syndicated game show "Family Feud."
He first appeared on Broadway as
Billy Flynn in 2006 and has reprised that role with the Broadway and National Touring companies of CHICAGO in recent years. He also starred as King Arthur in the Las Vegas production of Monty Python's Spamalot.
One of CHICAGO's most acclaimed and recognizable performers,
Charlotte d'Amboise has played the role of
Roxie Hart more than any other actress in the history of the production -- more than 2,500 performances on Broadway and the road combined to-date. For her portrayal of this role in previous national tours of CHICAGO, d'Amboise earned the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, L.A. Ovation Award and a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award.
The newest addition to the CHICAGO family,
Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines has appeared on Broadway in The Color Purple, The Little Mermaid, Pal Joey and most recently, Memphis. Beyond her Broadway credits, Gaines is also a successful dancer, having performed with
Alvin Ailey, the Frankfurt Ballet and Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn.
The Broadway production also stars
Chris Sullivan as Amos Hart,
Carol Woods as Matron "Mama" Morton and
R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine. Current headliners
Kara DioGuardi (
Roxie Hart),
Amra-Faye Wright (Velma Kelly) and
Tony Yazbeck (
Billy Flynn) conclude their runs on Sunday, October 30.
The CHICAGO ensemble currently features
Donna Marie Asbury,
Nili Bassman, Nicoel Bridgewater,
Dylis Croman,
Michael Cusumano,
Jennifer Dunne,
James Harkness,
David Kent, J. Leoffelholz,
Melissa Rae Mahon,
Sharon Moore,
Peter Nelson,
Jill Nicklaus,
Brian O'Brien,
Jason Patrick Sands,
Brian Spitulnik,
Ryan Worsing and
Adam Zotovich.
With a legendary book by
Fred Ebb and
Bob Fosse, music by
John Kander and lyrics by
Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.
Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, 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.
Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking, CHICAGO 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.
Visit www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.
