Pop! Six! Squish! Uh-uh! Cicero! Lipschitz!
The musical Chicago is returning to the Crown Theatre in November before heading off for seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne.
The longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history, this scorching hot masterpiece includes a glittering score that includes All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango and Razzle Dazzle.
Created by the musical theatre talents of John Kander, who recently was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tony Awards, Fred Ebb and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse, the show has racked up a stack of awards including six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy.
Producers John Frost and Suzanne Jones said, “Chicago has everything that people love about a Broadway musical – a story of fame, fortune and all that jazz, one show-stopping number after another and the most amazing dancing you’ve ever seen. We are thrilled to bring the razzle dazzle of this New York institution back to Australia.”
The musical will play at Crown Theatre, Perth from November, the Lyric Theatre QPAC from January 2024 and at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne from March 2024.
There’s no word yet on who will take on the iconic roles of Roxy Hart and Velma Kelly, but auditions are already under way. A local production of the show played at the Theatre Royale last year, and a touring production last visited Perth back in 2010.
The Kander and Ebb musical made it’s debut in 1975 and directed and choregraphed by the Legendary Bob Fosse.
The satirical show is based on real life murder cases from the 1920’s and the concept of a celebrity criminal. It previously inspired a 1920’s play of the same name and was also the basis for the 1942 Ginger Rodgers film Roxie Hart.
While Fosse’s original Broadway production ran for two years in the late 1970’s, a revived version of the show that debuted in 1996 enjoys one of the longest runs of in Broadway history. It’s still going strong and has now played over 10,000 performances.
The show is famous for the wide variety of actors who have played the title roles. The original production starred Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach. Anne Reinking, Bebe Neuwith and Joel Grey starred in the Broadway revival.
Over the years Liza Minelli, Mel B, Christie Brinkley, Melanie Griffith, Bonnie Langford, Nana Visitor, Tina Arena, Ute Lemper, Caroline O’Connor, Brooke Shields and Alison Moyet are just a few of the hundreds of well known names who’ve appeared in the show.
Chicago was adapted for the screen in 2002 with Renne Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John. Reilly, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu and Dominic West among the cast.
Head to the show’s website to get tickets from 18th August.
OIP Staff
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