Aladdin Tony winner James Monroe Iglehart, also seen as Lafayette and Jefferson in Hamilton, is Broadway’s new Billy Flynn in the Tony-winning revival of Chicago beginning January 17 at the Ambassador Theatre.
Iglehart, whose Broadway credits also include Freestyle Love Supreme, Memphis, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, joins a cast that features Tony nominee Charlotte d’Amboise as Roxie Hart, Bianca Marroquín as Velma Kelly, Jennifer Fouché as Matron “Mama” Morton, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine.
The ensemble includes David Bushman, C. Caballero, Jennifer Dunne, Jessica Ernest, Jeff Gorti, Arian Keddell, Mary Claire King, Barrett Martin, Sharon Moore, Drew Nellessen, Celina Nightengale, Brian O'Brien, Denny Paschall, Jermaine R. Rembert, Rachel Schur, Michael Scirrotto, Christine Cornish Smith, and Brian Spitulnik..
The revival of Chicago began life as one of the three annual Encores! presentations offered by City Center. The musical opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in November 14, 1996, where it remained through February 1997. The musical transferred to the Shubert Theatre, and played that house through January 26, 2003. The revival reopened at the Ambassador Theatre January 29 that year.
It is now the second-longest running show in Broadway history (after The Phantom of the Opera). Over the last 25 years, the show has been seen in 36 different countries by 33 million people worldwide.
With a book by the late Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Ebb, Chicago features direction by Walter Bobbie, choreography by the late Ann Reinking, set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design Ken Billington, sound design by Scott Lehrer, and casting by Stewart/Whitley.
The current production, produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 1997 as well as awards for actors Bebe Neuwirth and James Naughton, director Bobbie, lighting designer Billington, and Reinking. The original production was directed and choreographed by the late Fosse.
