The musical “Chicago” has a deadly track record of guessing who the next name on everyone’s lips will be.
Whether it’s Melanie Griffith, Brooke Shields, Pamela Anderson, Christie Brinkley, Ariana Madix or Usher, producers Fran and Barry Weissler have long accepted hiring untested stars who have never been on Broadway, but have no connection to the theater at all.
Can they sing? Can they dance? They can sell?
The couple’s risky strategy paid off — well, most of the time — turning John Kander and Fred Ebb’s 1970s musical revival about two Windy City murders into the longest-running show on Broadway and the second-longest running of all time behind “Phantom of the Opera.” It’s an $800 million machine.
Every time “Chicago” starts moving and the sharks smell blood, a famous face enters.
So, who gave the box office the old razzle glory and who gave it the fizzle fizzle?
Weissler’s latest play is Whitney Leavitt.
Far from Lea Michele or Idina Menzel, Leavitt, 32, is the star of “The Secret Life of Mormon Women,” a Hulu reality TV show, and a “Dancing with the Stars” Season 34 contestant. He came in 6th place.
But he is firmly in the lead in this race. Earlier this month, Leavitt drove the 29-year-old production — about as old as he gets — to its highest weekend ever with $1.4 million in ticket sales.
A representative of the Ambassador Theater who had never heard of him until now said of the cheers of the fans, “It’s like Yankee Stadium in here!”
Leavitt has been extended until May 3.
The first celebrity to prove “Chicago”‘s stunt casting model could work was “Working Girl” herself.
In 2003, when the musical was seven years old and had been adapted into the 2002 Oscar-winning film starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Melanie Griffith was cast to play Roxie Hart.
Why would a movie star without a platform take on the role of an unhappily married man who shoots and kills his lover and claims self-defense with the help of his slick lawyer Billy Flynn?
Griffith had failed at work, and his life had become fodder for gossip. But then-husband Antonio Banderas was appearing across the street in “Nine,” and the engagement was less than three months away.
The workout wasn’t easy, reports The Post’s Michael Riedel. Choreographer and original Roxie, Ann Reinking, had to adapt Bob Fosse’s dances for her. And at one point Griffith wanted to delay his start date by a week.
But one day before the start, he performed for three audiences – Banderas, Chita Rivera and Barry Weissler – and had the confidence to continue.
The title of Clive Barnes’ post review read “Melanie can’t sing, dance or act, but she’s a star.” All the critics loved him.
It is the key. Griffith set an important example for future Roxies: To be great, you don’t have to be a triple threat. You can even be a non-threatening person. Just be yourself.
The actress had a great image, and everyone agreed with her it was Roxie. Griffith sold more than $1 million in tickets before his first night, and played to standing-room-only houses for the rest of his run.
Who should follow? And why are you stopping Roxie?
Other popular screen actors followed, although traditional thespians became one of its least lucrative pools.
There was Brooke Shields, fresh off the sitcom “Suddenly Susan,” who debuted as Roxie London.
While playing pool in 2005, Tom Cruise, who was 42 at the time, went on the “Today” show and attacked his antidepressant use, which he had discussed publicly in his book “Down Came the Rain: My Journey through Postpartum Depression.” Cruise, as a Scientist, called Shields “irresponsible.”
They both reached for the gun. He turned to Cruise, who was dating 26-year-old Katie Holmes at the time, saying, “If he wants to see ‘Chicago’, I left him two tickets – one adult, one child.”
The West End loved drama.
When Shields transferred it to Broadway in September, it didn’t do well with Griffith’s numbers. The actress was not surprised as she had already appeared in “Grease,” “Cabaret” and “Wonderful Town”. But he raised the house to 90% capacity for some of his time.
Obviously, drama is a game. So, in 2006, the most popular rom-com actress and Tom Hanks’ wife Rita Wilson was not the most reliable Roxie. His income was $450,000 a week – respectable for a show 20 years ago, but half the business was “Mamma Mia!” it did. However, the audience was happy for him.
It is not true for example with Billy Joel’s ex-wife Christie Brinkley, who took Roxie in 2011 at the age of 57. Online fans destroyed her performance. And the Daily News wrote “there was a hint of a job because of Brinkley’s empty comment.” Ache. “Uptown Girl” managed enough tickets that she was asked in 2019, when she was 65 years old.
The latest movie star who didn’t make friends with the audience or the cash registers was Mira Sorvino last fall.
Word of mouth was bad for the star of “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion”, and some weeks the Oscar winner played up to 68% capacity – not what you want from a well-known organization.
Still, it’s better than Miss USA Tara Conner, who has the unique option of selling $0 tickets.
In 2007, the Weisslers were secretly rehearsing Conner as Roxie at the Chelsea studio.
Like many before him, Conner was embroiled in scandal. Three months after his coronation in 2006, he was caught high and smoking cocaine in a New York nightclub. To avoid losing his title, the owner of the games Donald Trump sent him to rehab.
And now, straight to the dance class!
“They’ve been helping him see if he can do it,” a source said at the time.
“Assuming both sides are comfortable, this will be a win-win for all parties,” Barry told The Post after the news broke. “We look forward to making a positive announcement about becoming a member of the ‘Chicago’ family.”
They did not make an announcement. Conner was released two weeks later.
Perhaps no one has seen a more drastic career change after dancing to “Hot Honey Rag,” however, than “Baywatch” actress and Playboy Playmate Pamela Anderson.
At age 54, she began her two-month run as Roxie in April 2022, setting the media on fire as Broadway limped along after COVID.
I was at her first performance, and I said in my review, “Pam might be Ethel Merman thinking riots.”
The week’s fast-track cume was up nearly $300K to $829K. However, no one realized that this was the beginning of the second showbiz act.
Three years later, Anderson received his first Golden Globe nomination for the dramatic film “The Last Showgirl,” and starred with Liam Neeson in the premiere of “Naked Gun.” This year, his new film, “Rosebush Pruning,” premiered at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival.
But we can’t let the girls have fun.
Between Griffith and the latest series of successful TV stars, “Chicago” the strongest hire was a man – Usher.
The R&B star, then 27, played Billy Flynn in the summer of 2006 — and hundreds of fans poured onto 49th Street to see the legendary singer exit the convertible at the stage door. Earnings also rose to $800,000 per week.
When he caught a sore throat and had to pull out of his last eight performances, the result dropped by $400,000.
“We hope Usher gets well soon,” Barry told The Post at the time. He was one of the best Billy Flynns we ever had.
Could that be because he saw the show where 1.7 million dollars was collected in seven weeks?
Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. he also played Billy in 2018. Unlike Usher, ticket buyers said he was one of the worst Flynns they had ever seen.
Meh. During its run, “Chicago” still outsold “Kinky Boots,” “School of Rock” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
But for country singer and Miley’s father Billy Ray Cyrus, the job broke his heart, his heart is broken, broken. The representative remained at 65% sold while playing “All I Care About Is Love.”
In recent years the show has been heavily criticized for its lack of reality.
The three highest-grossing “Chicago” stars of all time are, in fact, uncredited regulars who, like Leavitt, brought a non-traditional fanbase to Broadway.
Jinkx Monsoon, who won Season 13 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” broke a box office record in 2023 playing Matron Mama Morton.
And Ariana Madix of “Vanderpump Rules” gave the show its highest non-holiday weekend in 2024 as Roxie.
“Chicago” can run for another thirty years only on Bravo.
The revival of “Chicago” will celebrate its 30th anniversary in November, mainly because of pushing the stars on the stage – good, bad or invisible.
The stunt performer is so popular that he was featured last week in the Season 3 premiere of HBO’s “The Comeback,” starring Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish.
When the unprepared Valerie steps into the role of Roxie, it’s a bigger challenge than she expected.
“Maybe I should have seen the show before I said, ‘Yes’,” she says to her husband. The music doesn’t stop, song after song.
That’s “Chicago”!
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