{"id":300378,"date":"2026-07-20T04:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T04:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/300378\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T04:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T04:18:10","slug":"mark-ballas-returns-to-broadways-chicago-july-20-eddie-cooper-joins-cast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/300378\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Ballas Returns to Broadway’s Chicago July 20; Eddie Cooper Joins Cast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dancer, choreographer, and actor Mark Ballas<\/a> returns\u00a0to the Tony-winning revival of Chicago<\/a> July 20\u00a0at the Ambassador Theatre.<\/p>\n

Ballas, who has been a pro on the ABC reality competition Dancing With the Stars
\n since 2007, winning the series three times, again steps into the
\nrole of
\nslick lawyer Billy Flynn through\u00a0August 16. The current\u00a0run follows his April 6-May 3 engagement that had reunited him with his
\nmost recent Dancing With the Stars partner, Whitney
\nLeavitt.<\/p>\n

Ballas made his Broadway debut in 2016 as the final Frankie Valli<\/a> in Jersey Boys<\/a> at the August Wilson Theatre, later performing the role in the national tour. He went on to star as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots<\/a> on Broadway in 2019, and previously appeared in the U.K. national tour of The Buddy Holly Story.<\/p>\n

A Chicago Celebration at Tony Awards 2026: Watch the Performance Here, Including Pink’s ‘All That Jazz’<\/a><\/p>\n

July 20 also marks the arrival of\u00a0Eddie Cooper<\/a>, seen on Broadway last season in\u00a0The Fear of 13<\/a>.\u00a0Cooper, who\u00a0takes over the\u00a0role of Amos Hart, has also been seen on Broadway in\u00a0Dead Outlaw<\/a> and Parade<\/a> plus the City Center<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Ballas and Cooper succeed, respectively, Matteo Lane<\/a> and Red\u00a0Concepci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

The evening also welcomes\u00a0Emmy winner Derek Hough in a\u00a0one-night-only\u00a0Chicago debut.\u00a0Hough, who made his Broadway debut in Burn the Floor<\/a>,\u00a0is scheduled to\u00a0deliver 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.<\/p>\n

As
\n a cast member of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, Hough is part
\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s Hairspray Live!<\/p>\n

\"Chicago<\/p>\n

The current company of Chicago also\u00a0features Krysta Rodriguez<\/a> (Smash<\/a>) as
\n Roxie Hart, Sophie Carmen-Jones<\/a> as Velma Kelly, Jacqueline B. Arnold<\/a> as
\n Matron \u201cMama\u201d Morton, and J.
\nWorkman as Mary Sunshine. <\/p>\n

Check out Chicago merchandise in the Playbill Store<\/a><\/p>\n

The company also includes Tia Altinay<\/a>, Nicole Benoit<\/a>, Ronnie S.
\nBowman Jr., Austin Dunn<\/a>, John Michael Fiumara<\/a>, Danielle Marie Gonzalez<\/a>,
\nChelsea James<\/a>, Christopher Kelley<\/a>, James T. Lane<\/a>, Jenny Laroche<\/a>, Marty
\nLawson, Joseph London, Kristen Faith Oei<\/a>, Denny Paschall<\/a>, Mariah Reives<\/a>,
\n Sean Samuels<\/a>, Samantha Sturm<\/a>, and Jeff Sullivan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The revival of Chicago began life as one of the three annual Encores!
\n presentations offered by City Center. The musical opened on Broadway at
\n the Richard Rodgers Theatre November 14, 1996, where it remained
\nthrough February 1997. The musical transferred to the Shubert Theatre,
\nand played that house through January 26, 2003. The revival reopened at
\nthe Ambassador Theatre January 29 that year.<\/p>\n

Since its debut in 1996, Chicago has played in 36 countries
\nand been seen by 33 million people worldwide. It is now the
\nsecond-longest running show in Broadway history (after the now closed The Phantom of the Opera).<\/p>\n

READ: How the Chicago Costumes Have Evolved Over 25 Years<\/a><\/p>\n

With a book by the late Fred Ebb<\/a> and Bob Fosse<\/a>, music by John Kander<\/a>, and lyrics by Ebb, Chicago
\n features direction by Walter Bobbie<\/a>, choreography by the late Ann
\nReinking, set design by John Lee Beatty<\/a>, costume design by William Ivey
\nLong, lighting design by Ken Billington<\/a>, sound design by Scott Lehrer<\/a>,
\nand casting by ARC.<\/p>\n

The current production, produced by Barry and Fran Weissler<\/a>, won the
\nTony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 1997 as well as awards for
\nactors Bebe Neuwirth<\/a> and James Naughton<\/a>, director Bobbie, lighting
\ndesigner Billington, and Reinking. The original production was directed
\nand choreographed by the late Fosse.<\/p>\n

\"Chicago<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Chicago<\/p>\n

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