CHICAGO set to razzle dazzle Brisbane and Melbourne this Summer

CHICAGO - photo by Peter Brew BevanIt has been confirmed that the multi-award winning, record breaking musical CHICAGO is coming to Brisbane and Melbourne this summer! Produced in Australia by John Frost and Suzanne Jones, this Australian production will premiere at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre in August before a Brisbane season at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre from 1 November and culminating in a season at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne from 13 December 2019.

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said he was pleased to present CHICAGO again. “This show holds a very special place in QPAC’s history; it has been more than 10 years since our last presentation of CHICAGO, with that season opening our then newly refurbished Lyric Theatre in 2009,” said Mr Kotzas. “Our audiences love great musical theatre, and they are certainly in for a treat with this all-new production and its stellar cast.”

“Arts Centre Melbourne is home to the record-breaking summer musical in Melbourne,” said Claire Spencer, CEO Arts Centre Melbourne. “After the recent triumphs of Evita, and before that Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical, we are absolutely thrilled to be the venue of choice for CHICAGO.”

“We’re delighted to be able to offer our audiences another magical experience – this time travelling back to the Golden Age. Bob Fosse’s legacy will be brought to life by an outstanding cast, and we can’t wait to see it!”

The Kander & Ebb musical has been seen by over 31 million people worldwide in 36 countries and is the winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy Award. CHICAGO continues to play on Broadway and around the world in multiple languages and is the longest running American musical in Broadway and West End history.

The sassy musical will star some of Australia’s most talented performers. Starring as the irreverent and determined Roxie Hart, is one of our most versatile entertainers, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and joining her as the empowered and glamorous Velma Kelly is musical theatre star Alinta Chidzey. Much adored Casey Donovan joins the duo as the tough and sassy prison warden Matron ‘Mama’ Morton.

Starring alongside this star studded cast is musical theatre stalwart Rodney Dobson playing Roxie’s charming and vulnerable husband Amos Hart and J. Furtado as gossip hound Mary Sunshine. The wonderful ensemble cast includes Amy Berrisford, Andrew Cook, Todd Dewberry, Samantha Dodemaide, Ben Gillespie, Chaska Halliday, Travis Khan, Hayley Martin, Kristina McNamara, Joe Meldrum, Tom New, Jessica Vellucci, Romina Villafranca, Rachael Ward, Zachary Webster and Mitchell Woodcock. Further cast will be announced soon!

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer Billy Flynn to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

CHICAGO, which is based on the 1926 play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1996 Broadway revival of CHICAGO is choreographed by Tony Award winning Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse and is directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie. CHICAGO features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington, and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

Whether you’re looking for your first Broadway musical, whether you’ve seen the Academy Award®-winning film and want to experience the show live on stage, whether you’ve seen it before and want to recapture the magic or whether you are after a perfect night of pure entertainment, CHICAGO always delivers.

CHICAGO plays at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre from 21 August before playing Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre – QPAC from 1 November and the State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne from 13 December 2019. For more information, visit: www.chicagothemusical.com.au for details.

Image: The Cast of CHICAGO – photo by Peter Brew Bevan