Dancer, choreographer, and actor Mark Ballas returns to the Tony-winning revival of Chicago July 20 at the Ambassador Theatre.
Ballas, who has been a pro on the ABC reality competition Dancing With the Stars
since 2007, winning the series three times, again steps into the
role of
slick lawyer Billy Flynn through August 16. The current run follows his April 6-May 3 engagement that had reunited him with his
most recent Dancing With the Stars partner, Whitney
Leavitt.
Ballas made his Broadway debut in 2016 as the final Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre, later performing the role in the national tour. He went on to star as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway in 2019, and previously appeared in the U.K. national tour of The Buddy Holly Story.
July 20 also marks the arrival of Eddie Cooper, seen on Broadway last season in The Fear of 13. Cooper, who takes over the role of Amos Hart, has also been seen on Broadway in Dead Outlaw and Parade plus the City Center Encores! productions of Titanic, Promenade, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, and Little Shop of Horrors. His Off-Broadway credits include I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Assassins, The Cradle Will Rock, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, and This Ain’t No Disco.
Ballas and Cooper succeed, respectively, Matteo Lane and Red Concepción.
The evening also welcomes Emmy winner Derek Hough in a one-night-only Chicago debut. Hough, who made his Broadway debut in Burn the Floor, is scheduled to deliver Chicago’s opening monologue at the 7 PM performance. He will also be part of a post-performance talkback with fellow Dancing With the Stars artist Ballas.
As
a cast member of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Hough is part
of the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno. He made his feature film debut in Make Your Move and had a recurring role on the ABC series Nashville and in High School Musical The Musical for Disney+. His stage performances also include Radio City Music Hall’s Spring Spectacular, Burn the Floor on Broadway, and Footloose in London’s West End. Hough also starred with Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Martin Short, and Harvey Fierstein in NBC’s Hairspray Live!
The current company of Chicago also features Krysta Rodriguez (Smash) as
Roxie Hart, Sophie Carmen-Jones as Velma Kelly, Jacqueline B. Arnold as
Matron “Mama” Morton, and J.
Workman as Mary Sunshine.
Check out Chicago merchandise in the Playbill Store
The company also includes Tia Altinay, Nicole Benoit, Ronnie S.
Bowman Jr., Austin Dunn, John Michael Fiumara, Danielle Marie Gonzalez,
Chelsea James, Christopher Kelley, James T. Lane, Jenny Laroche, Marty
Lawson, Joseph London, Kristen Faith Oei, Denny Paschall, Mariah Reives,
Sean Samuels, Samantha Sturm, and Jeff Sullivan.
The revival of Chicago began life as one of the three annual Encores!
presentations offered by City Center. The musical opened on Broadway at
the Richard Rodgers Theatre November 14, 1996, where it remained
through February 1997. The musical transferred to the Shubert Theatre,
and played that house through January 26, 2003. The revival reopened at
the Ambassador Theatre January 29 that year.
Since its debut in 1996, Chicago has played in 36 countries
and been seen by 33 million people worldwide. It is now the
second-longest running show in Broadway history (after the now closed The Phantom of the Opera).
READ: How the Chicago Costumes Have Evolved Over 25 Years
With a book by the late Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Ebb, Chicago
features direction by Walter Bobbie, choreography by the late Ann
Reinking, set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey
Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Scott Lehrer,
and casting by ARC.
The current production, produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, won the
Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 1997 as well as awards for
actors Bebe Neuwirth and James Naughton, director Bobbie, lighting
designer Billington, and Reinking. The original production was directed
and choreographed by the late Fosse.
