Chicago announces cast changes

The Broadway musical Chicago has announced cast changes. John O'Hurley ("Seinfeld," "Dancing with the Stars," Monty Python's Spamalot) has extended his limited engagement as Billy Flynn through to 12 Sep 2010. O'Hurley assumed the role on 20 Jul for a limited engagement that was originaly scheduled to end on 29 Aug 2010.

O'Hurley is joined by two-time Tony Award nominee Charlotte d'Amboise (A Chorus Line, Jerome Robbins' Broadway) as 'Roxie Hart' and Raymond Bokhour as 'Amos Hart,' both of whom re-join the Chicago company on 30 Aug 2010.

On 2 Sep 2010 longtime Chicago veteran Roz Ryan (The Pajama Game, Dreamgirls, TV's "Amen") returns as 'Matron "Mama" Morton.'

O'Hurley first appeared on Broadway as 'Billy Flynn' in 2006 and has reprised that role with the National Touring company of Chicago in recent years. He also starred as 'King Arthur' in the Las Vegas production of 'Monty Python's Spamalot.'

Charlotte d'Amboise made her debut as 'Roxie Hart' in 1997 with the first national tour of Chicago. For that performance, she earned the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Ovation Award and the Bay Area Theatre Circle Award. Since then, she has played 'Roxie Hart' more than 2,000 times - more than any other actress in the show's history.

Raymond Bokhour made his Broadway debut with Chicago in 2001, and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor. His other theatre includes Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Studio Theatre, DC), Kemp in Vigil (Geva Theatre), Prentice in What the Butler Saw (Franklin Stage) and the title role in Rameau's Nephew at Portland Stage.

Roz Ryan's return to the show marks her tenth season in the role of 'Matron "Mama" Morton.' When not performing on Broadway, she is lending her voice to the all-new "Looney Tunes" cartoon series and the Cartoon Network's animated series "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack," now in its third season.

Chicago now stars Amra-Faye Wright (Velma Kelly), Charlotte d'Amboise (Roxie), John O'Hurley (Billy Flynn), Terri White (Mama Morton), Carol Woods (Mama Morton), Raymond Bokhour (Amos Hart) and R. Lowe (Mary Sunshine).

Now celebrating thirteen years on the Great White Way, Chicago is the second longest-running production currently playing on Broadway, as well as Broadway's longest-running musical revival.

The show has been playing on Broadway since 14 Nov 1996, it moved to the Ambassador Theatre on the 29 Jan 2003, where it is now booking through to 23 Dec 2010.

Chicago follows not your usual housewife, Roxie Hart, who gains dubious notoriety when she kills her boyfriend, invents her defence and manipulates everyone from her trustworthy husband to the fickle media and the unsuspecting public. The show features the well known songs, 'All That Jazz,' 'Razzle Dazzle' and 'Mr. Cellophane'.

Chicago has music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Bob Fosse & Fred Ebb.

The musical is directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Ann Reinking, scene design by John Lee Beatty, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Ken Billington and sound by Scott Lehrer.

Chicago is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording. It is the eighth longest-running production in Broadway history, as well as Broadway's longest-running musical revival.