Directed by Walter Bobbie with choreography by Ann Reinking — in the style of Bob Fosse — the cast will be headed by Bianca Marroquin and Brenda Braxton playing, respectively, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Gregory Harrison, who is currently playing the role of Billy Flynn on Broadway, will also be part of the tour; others in the cast include Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton, Ray Bokhour as Amos Hart and R. Bean as Mary Sunshine.
Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, the tour will kick off June 10 in Washington, DC, at the National Theatre. The official opening night is scheduled for June 11, and the production will run through June 29.Upcoming tour stops include the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, MN; Blumenthal Center in Charlotte, NC; the Heinz Hall in Philadelphia, PA and the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, CA.
The Chicago company comprises Caitlin Carter, Mamie Duncan Gibbs, Eddie Bennett, Nicole Bridgewater, Christine Brooks, Lloyd Culbreath, Bernard Dotson, Jennifer Mackensie Dunne, David Kent, Marianne McCord, Kevin Neil McCready, Kathryn Mowat Murphy, Mark Reis, Dante Sciarra, Randy Slovacek and Steven Sofia.
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Bianca Marroquin began her career in Mexico City in the ensemble of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. For her portrayal of Roxie Hart in the Mexico City mounting, Marroquin received five awards from the Mexican Critics Association including New Revelation and Best Actress. Her other theatrical credits include Rent and The Phantom of the Opera. Marroquin also played Roxie on Broadway last summer.
Brenda Braxton received a 1995 Tony Award nomination, an NAACP Theater Award and Chicago's Jefferson Award for her work in the revue Smokey Joe's Cafe. Her other Broadway credits include Chicago, Jelly's Last Jam, Cats, Legs Diamond and Dreamgirls. Braxton was also recently seen in the Off-Broadway musical Little Ham as Sugar Lou Bird. Gregory Harrison made his Broadway debut in another Kander and Ebb musical, 1997’s short-lived Steel Pier. His other Broadway appearance — in the Matthew Warchus-directed Follies — cast the actor as Benjamin Stone opposite the Phyllis Stone of Blythe Danner. Harrison’s regional theatre credits include roles in The Fantasticks, The Promise, The Subject Was Roses, Festival, Child’s Play, Picnic, Billy Budd, Carnal Knowledge and The Hasty Heart (L.A. Drama Critics Best Actor Award).
Chicago won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical in 1997 as well as awards for actors Bebe Neuwirth and James Naughton, director Walter Bobbie, lighting designer Ken Billington and choreographer Ann Reinking. The original production was directed and choreographed by the late Bob Fosse. The Rob Marshall-directed film of “Chicago” won this year’s Academy Award for Best Film.
At the National, Chicago will play Tuesday through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 PM. Tickets, priced between $35 and $75, are available by calling (800) 447-7400 or by logging on to www.telecharge.com.
