Broadway NewsTodrick Hall Returns to Broadway in Chicago Beginning November 30The recording star and YouTube favorite concluded his star turn in Kinky Boots earlier this season.
Todrick Hall, who appeared on Broadway earlier this year as Lola in Kinky Boots, returns to the New York stage November 30 in Chicago. He takes on the role of Billy Flynn, playing a limited engagement at the Ambassador Theatre through January 14, 2018.
In addition to Kinky Boots, Hall has previously appeared on Broadway in Memphis and in the original production of The Color Purple. His myriad viral YouTube videos frequently draw on his affinity for musical theatre and have featured such stage alums as Shoshana Bean, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and Alex Newell (currently on Broadway in Once on This Island).
“Chicago has been one of my favorite musicals since I first heard the song ‘Cell Block Tango,’ which has now been the inspiration for some of my most viral YouTube videos,” Hall told Playbill. “I'm so excited to tell this story every night and be a part of one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time.”
Hall recently toured the U.S. with a concert presentation of his 2016 studio recording and subsequent video album Straight Outta Oz, which compares his life and career with L. Frank Baum's classic novel. He also has Broadway aspirations for the title, telling Playbill earlier this year, “I want this show to do so much more than a YouTube visual album. I think this show has the potential to be on Broadway in some shape or form. That’s my goal.”
Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall, a documentary that follows the entertainer through the launch of Straight Outta Oz, will be released on digital platforms December 12 and on DVD December 19. The film premiered at SXSW earlier this year.
The current Broadway company of Chicago includes Tom Hewitt as Billy Flynn, Charlotte d'Amboise as Roxie Hart, Leigh Zimmerman as Velma Kelly, NaTasha Yvette Williams as Matron Mama Morton, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine.
Hall will also be honored at Sheryl Lee Ralph's 27th annual Divas Simply Singing! benefit concert, where he will receive the DIVA Foundation's Vision Award. The event will raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Watch Hall's take on the classic Kander and Ebb score in his video announcement below.