On The Scene: Broadway musical ‘Chicago’ celebrates 25th anniversary, special cast reunion

One of the biggest Broadway musicals in history, Chicago, celebrated a milestone Tuesday night, which included a special cast reunion.

News 12 Staff

Nov 17, 2021, 12:57 PM

Updated 896 days ago

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One of the biggest Broadway musicals in history, Chicago, celebrated a milestone Tuesday night, which included a special cast reunion.
The 25th anniversary of the musical's Broadway revival was celebrated, a performance that brought together former cast members, including Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton and Joel Grey, who performed in the cast in 1996.
“Jim Naughton and I were standing backstage and we said what's happening?” says Grey. “Then every number stopped the show."
Chicago is set in the 1920s. The plot revolves around two accused killers, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, each battling for media attention for their case. Christie Brinkley once played Roxie.
“It was one of the greatest moments of my career,” says Brinkley. “I absolutely loved playing Roxie Hart in Chicago."
Currently, Velma Kelly is played by Bianca Marroquin, who first performed in Chicago in her native Mexico around 20 years ago.
“When I joined the cast 20 years ago in Mexico City as Roxie, it was huge,” says Kelly. “I was so grateful they took a chance on me.”
Chicago’s history on Broadway goes back much further than 25 years. It originally opened in 1975. The production received mixed reviews and closed after a couple of years.
"I saw the original in 1975 and it was spectacular,” says Neurwirth. “That was a great show. But Bob Fosse was ahead of his time, and the audiences just weren't ready for it."
But Chicago has now gone on to become the longest running musical revival ever on Broadway. It has now played nearly 10,000 performances on Broadway.


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