'Chicago' to host special 25th anniversary Broadway performance
The performance will include guest appearances from some of the musical's original cast members.
After 25 years, Chicago is still razzle-dazzling Broadway! On November 16, the show will host a special 25th anniversary performance at the Ambassador Theatre to commemorate the milestone. The performance will feature special guest appearances from some of the original Chicago cast members and "other surprises," which have yet to be announced.
Chicago first premiered on Broadway in 1975 starring the late Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, and the late Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn. The musical ran for a total of 936 performances before closing in 1977. The 1996 revival of Chicago — the current production — beat the success of the original more than tenfold, having had 9,737 performances as of November 1 and counting. The show is now the second-longest running Broadway musical, the longest-running revival, and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
The original 1996 revival cast of Chicago included the late Ann Reinking as Roxie Hart, Bebe Neuwirth as Velma Kelly, and Joel Grey as Billy Flynn. The current principal cast includes Ana Villafañe as Roxie Hart, Bianca Marroquín as Velma Kelly, Tony Award winner Paulo Szot as Billy Flynn, Tony Award winner Lillias White as Matron "Mama" Morton, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, and Ryan Lowe as Mary Sunshine.
Chicago follows housewife and wannabe celebrity Roxie Hart, who kills her lover after he goes back on his promise to make her a star. When she hires the suave Billy Flynn as her lawyer, he helps her turn her crime into a media sensation that makes her infamous, if not yet famous, and ignites a feud with fellow celebrity murderess Velma Kelly.
Originally published on