Broadway's Chicago Plays Milestone Performance March 24

By Andrew Gans
24 Mar 2009

Charlotte d'Amboise in the revival of Chicago.
Charlotte d'Amboise in the revival of Chicago.
Photo by Carol Rosegg

On March 24 the Tony Award-winning revival of Chicago, now playing the Ambassador Theatre, becomes the seventh longest-running production in Broadway history.

When the Kander and Ebb musical plays its 5,125th performance, the production surpasses Jonathan Larson's Rent to become the seventh longest-running Broadway show.

The Chicago cast currently features two-time Tony nominee Charlotte d'Amboise as Roxie Hart, South Africa native Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly, two-time Tony Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart and Carol Woods as Matron "Mama" Morton.

The top ten longest-running shows currently include The Phantom of the Opera (8,797 performances), Cats (7,485), Les Misérables (6,680), A Chorus Line (6,137), Oh! Calcutta! (5,959), Beauty and the Beast (5,461), Chicago (5,125), Rent (5,124), The Lion King (4,741) and Miss Saigon (4,097). Phantom is also still running.

Chicago won the Tony Award 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.

Chicago plays the Ambassador Theatre, located at 219 West 49th Street.

Visit www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.