Gabrielle to Succeed Simpson as Roxie in London's Chicago
By: BWW News Desk Oct. 27, 2006
West End star Josefina Gabrielle, who played Laurey in the most recent Broadway revival of Oklahoma!, will succeed pop star Ashlee Simpson as Roxie Hart in the London production of Chicago.
Gabrielle, who will be playing her fifth stint as the murderous chorine, will join the cast on October 30th.
London's Chicago also currently stars Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly, Ian Kelsey as Billy Flynn, Brenda Edwards as Mama Morton and Julian Sims as Amos Hart. It plays the Cambridge Theatre.The Broadway production of Chicago, which opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on November 14th 1996, has reached a run of over 4,000 performances at the Ambassador Theatre (215 W. 49th St.); the show will celebrate its 10 year anniversary in November. Chicago received 6 1997 Tonys (including Best Revival of a Musical) under the direction of Walter Bobbie and the choreography of star Ann Reinking. The revival, based on Bobbie's stylistically stripped-down Encores! staging, featured direction and choreography by Bob Fosse in its original 1975 production. Chicago features a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse.
A former soloist with the National Ballet of Portugal, Gabrielle also appeared in Oklahoma! on the West End, as well as in The Witches of Eastwick and Singin' in the Rain. She was recently seen in Chichester's Tonight at 8:30.
For more information on Chicago, visit www.chicagothemusical.com. For tickets, call Telecharge at 212 239 6200, or visit www.telecharge.comVideos