[Source: AP News]
Alyssa Milano hopes to charm audiences when she makes her Broadway debut this fall in the musical “Chicago,” adding her celebrity to a show that skewers celebrity culture.
Milano says doing a stint on Broadway never felt right until now. Her children — ages 9 and 12 — are settled in school and extracurricular activities, and her husband is in a good place in his career.
Set in the 1920s, “Chicago” is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals. It has Bob Fosse-inspired choreography, skimpy outfits, and killer songs such as “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango.”
“Chicago” tells the story of Roxie, a housewife and dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to leave her. To avoid conviction, Roxie hires Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to help her dupe the public, media, and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by creating shocking headlines.
Milano says she wants to honor Ann Reinking — the iconic Fosse collaborator who originated Roxie in the 1996 revival and created the choreography in Fosse’s style.
The celebrity-craving heroine at the heart of “Chicago″ has been played by dozens of women since the show opened in 1996, including Pam Anderson, Melanie Griffith, Christie Brinkley, Marilu Henner, Brooke Shields, Lisa Rinna, Gretchen Mol, Ashlee Simpson, Brandy Norwood, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Givens.
