Desi Oakley will star as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway
Oakley begins her first of three 2-week limited engagements in the long-running Broadway musical on May 13, 2019.
Broadway alum Desi Oakley is set to take on the leading role of Roxie Hart in Kander & Ebb's Tony Award-winning musical Chicago in three separate two-week engagements at the Ambassador Theatre. Legendary supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley will play her final performance in the role on May 12, 2019, and Ms. Oakley will assume the role firstly from May 13 through May 26, 2019. She is aslo set to reprise the role from June 17 through June 30, and finally from July 15 through July 28, 2019.
Ms. Oakley has previously appeared on the Great White Way in Wicked, Annie, and Les Misérables and has appeared in the National Tours of Wicked, Evita, and as Jenna in Waitress.
As previously announced, Japanese star Ryoko Yonekura is set to once again play Roxie Hart for 16 performances only from July 1 to July 14, 2019.
Additionally, Amra-Faye Wright and Ryan Silverman will return to the cast as Velma Kelly and Billy Flynn, respectively, from May 13, 2019.
The principal Broadway cast currently includes Christie Brinkley (as Roxie Hart), Terra C. Macleod (as Velma Kelly), Tom Hewitt (as Billy Flynn), Raymond Bokhour (as Amos Hart), Natasha Yvette Williams (as Matron 'Mama' Morton), and R. Lowe (Mary Sunshine).
Directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Ann Reinking, Chicago features a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with a book by Bob Fosse & Fred Ebb.
Synopsis: "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."
The creative team features scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Scott Lehrer.
The Broadway revival of Chicago began previews at the Ambassador Theatre on October 23, 1996, officially opening on November 14, 1996. The production went on to become the winner of six Tony Awards (including "Best Musical Revival") and the winner of the Grammy Award for "Best Musical Cast Recording," with the tuner featuring such showtune classics as "All That Jazz," "Razzle Dazzle," and "Mr. Cellophane," among others.
Chicago is produced on Broadway by Barry and Fran Weissler.
Chicago Tickets are available now for performances through to February 2, 2020.
(Photo by Jeremy Daniel)
Originally published on