Chicago Celebrates 14th Anniversary Nov. 14
Brent Barrett
The long-running, Tony-winning Broadway revival of Kander and Ebb's Chicago celebrates its 14th anniversary Nov. 14. The production currently plays the Ambassador Theatre.
The company currently boasts Tony nominee Charlotte d'Amboise as Roxie Hart, Leigh Zimmerman as Velma Kelly, Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart and Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton.
The current revival of Chicago began life as one of the three annual Encores! presentations offered by City Center. About that evening, James Naughton — who created the role of slick lawyer Billy Flynn — previously told Playbill.com, "Every single number the whole night long, the audience roared back at us. They literally roared. It's the most wonderful sound I've ever heard in the theatre. And what became apparent that night, and what I thought at the time, was this audience is starved for this kind of performing. All that we're doing is the most basic kind of in-your-face performing. There weren't any falling chandeliers or helicopters. It was just what actors, singers and dancers do best."
Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, the musical opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Nov. 1996 where it remained through Feb. 1997. The musical transferred to the Shubert Theatre on Feb. 11, 1997, and played that house through Jan. 26, 2003. The revival reopened at the Ambassador Theatre, its current home, on Jan. 29, 2003.
By Andrew Gans
14 Nov 2010
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