Bianca Marroquín (In the Heights, The Pajama Game), a frequent presence in the record-breaking revival of Chicago, will return to the Tony-winning production as Roxie Hart beginning November 16 at the Ambassador Theatre.
Hailing from Mexico City, Marroquín is part of a short list of actors
to have played both Roxie and Velma in the long-running John Kander and Fred Ebb
musical, debuting her Velma as part of the revival’s post-COVID
re-opening cast in 2021. When she joined the company for the first time
as Roxie in 2006, Marroquín became the first Mexican woman to play a
leading role on Broadway. Over the years, Marroquín has
periodically stepped into the role of Roxie or Velma, with more than 4,000 performances to date.
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Marroquín will succeed Reece Weaver, the former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and professional dancer best known for her appearance in Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who recently extended her run through November 15.
The current cast of Chicago features Weaver as Roxie Hart, Lissa deGuzman as Velma Kelly, Max von Essen as Billy Flynn, Natasha Yvette Williams as Matron “Mama” Morton, Red Concepción as Amos Hart, and J. Workman as Mary Sunshine.
The company also includes Tia Altinay, 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, Jeff Sullivan, and Elizabeth Yanick.
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.
