The producers of the Tony Award-winning musical CHICAGO announced today that supermodel Christie Brinkley will now make her Broadway stage debut in the role merry murderess Roxie Hart beginning Friday, April 8, 2011.
Brinkley, who was sidelined with a minor muscle injury this week, was forced to miss three days of rehearsal. As a result, her 11-week engagement - originally set to begin at the Ambassador Theatre on Monday, April 4 - will now commence on Friday, April 8 to allow for additional rehearsal time.
CHICAGO Producer
Barry Weissler said: "We are so thrilled with the incredible dedication, focus and determination that Christie has exhibited throughout this rehearsal period. Right now, it's almost as if she is living, eating, sleeping and breathing CHICAGO! While it's unfortunate that we must delay her start-date to
Make Up For a few missed rehearsals, I'm happy to report that she's now rested, feeling great and ready to jump back into it. And I'm excited that our audience on Friday, April 8 will be the first of many to see the stellar performance that she's going to deliver."
Brinkley is the latest addition to a remarkable roster of actresses who have graced CHICAGO's Broadway stage as Roxie Hart throughout the years, including
Brooke Shields,
Sandy Duncan,
Marilu Henner,
Bebe Neuwirth,
AshLee Simpson,
Michelle Williams and Academy Award nominee
Melanie Griffith.
Brinkley will be joined onstage by
Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly,
Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn,
Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart and
Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton.
CHICAGO plays on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.). Tickets are available by calling
Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Ambassador Theatre Box Office. Regular Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Visit
www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.
Throughout her phenomenal career as one of the country's most successful and recognizable supermodels,
Christie Brinkley has appeared on more than 500 magazine covers worldwide. But more than that, she also excels as an artist, writer, photographer, designer, actress, philanthropist environmentalist and political activist. Combining her modeling experience with her artistic talents and diverse interests, Christie's career over the years has been interesting and dynamic.
A Ford model for over thirty years, Christie was discovered by a photographer in Paris at the age of eighteen. Since then, she has become the first model to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated for three consecutive years, and appeared in the publication's annual swimsuit issues and television specials for years to follow.
In 1976, CoverGirl gave Christie her first "big break" in modeling with a contract, which launched the start of a 20-year partnership that marks the longest-running cosmetics contract of any model in history.
Christie is known for her commitment to health and fitness. Christie wrote and illustrated a health and beauty book, "
Christie Brinkley's Outdoor Beauty and Fitness Guide" which topped The New York Times bestseller list.
On the big screen, she made her acting debut in 1983 opposite
Chevy Chase in the hit feature film National Lampoon's Vacation and its 1997 sequel, Vegas Vacation. She has also famously appeared in
Billy Joel's classic music videos "Uptown Girl," "Keeping the Faith" and "All About Soul," as well as
Mick Jones' music video "Just Wanna Hold."
On television, Christie has appeared on NBC's "Mad About You" and hosted
Lifetime Television's "InStyle Celebrity Weddings," which became the highest rated special in Lifetime's history. She has also been featured in Vh1's "Pop Culture Icons" series. Christie has been the subject of many documentaries including the HBO program "Beautiful Baby, Beautiful," Lifetime's "Intimate Portrait" and "
Barbara Walters' Oscar Night Special."
Christie is an active member and dedicated supporter/activist for many organizations including UNICEF's Art and Entertainment Support Committee, Handgun Control, Ovarian Cancer, Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Cousteau Society, Southern Poverty Law, The Wilderness Society and
stopglobalwarming.org.
She currently lives in New York with two of her three children, Sailor Lee and
Jack Paris. Her daughter, actress/singer Alexa Ray Joel, lives in New York City.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos
