Kelly Price is the latest actress to don the fishnets of murderess Roxie Hart as she joins the cast of long-running musical Chicago on 1 September.
Price enjoyed the showbiz break that Roxie herself would kill for in 2006 when she was plucked from the ensemble of Guys And Dolls at the Piccadilly to take over from Jenna Russell in the role of Sarah Brown, opposite Adam Cooper and Patrick Swayze. She had previously appeared in another long-runner, Mamma Mia! Price’s most recent West End outing was in the lead role of Roberta Glass in short-lived Blondie musical Desperately Seeking Susan at the Novello last year.
The Mountview graduate will play glamorous murderess Roxie for eight weeks until 25 October, opposite Anna Jane Casey as Velma Kelly, Terence Maynard as Billy Flynn and Victor McGuire as Amos.
Chicago celebrated its 10th anniversary in the West End last November. This production of the Kander and Ebb musical opened at the Adelphi in 1997 before moving to its current home, the Cambridge, in April 2006.
The show follows the fortunes of selfish showgirl Roxie Hart, who finds herself languishing in prison after killing her lover. Determined to milk her infamy, she hires slick lawyer Billy Flynn to make her famous and get her out of jail. But she hadn’t counted on the rivalry with fellow jailbird Velma Kelly.
The role of Roxie is currently played by Dancing On Ice champion Suzanne Shaw, who leaves the show on 9 August.
CB