Guess who's playing next as Roxie Hart

Brooke Shields, turning 40 next month, has signed up to play the vampish character of Roxie Hart for nine weeks. The said character from Chicago the Musical was previously portrayed by Renee Zelwegger in the movie version. As for the stage play, the show has been running for nearly seven-and-a-half years in the city, and during that time has often cast big stars to boost the box office.

The demanding schedule will place Brooke, former wife of tennis ace Andre Agassi, to perform the two-and-a-half hour all-singing, all-dancing role eight times a week.

And the show's bosses are clearly impressed with her in rehearsals.

A spokesman for Chicago said: "She is going to bring some great pizzazz, sex appeal and excitement to the part.

"Brooke has an amazing star quality and looks absolutely fantastic."

For those of you who doesn't know, this is not her first stage appearance. Brooke Shields has previously appeared in Cabaret, The Exonerated, Grease and last year Wonderful Town in New York. For a bit of history, Brooke shot to fame in 1981 aged just 12 when she played a child prostitute in "Pretty Baby". She is also known for her role in the sexy cult movie The "Blue Lagoon", also seen in “Endless Love,” “The Weekend,” “The Bachelor” and “King of the Gypsies.” She also won an American Comedy Award for a guest appearance on “Friends,” which led to her hit series “Suddenly Susan.”

Her run kicks off at London's Adelphi Theatre on 26 April and Brooke will perform in the 2 1/2 hour show, eight times a week. (Whew!) The current cast will continue, aside from Josefina Gabrielle’s Roxie, after Shields starts in the role. Anna Montanaro will play Velma (although Charley Izabella King takes over May 7), Michael French will be Billy Flynn, and Robert Hands will play Amos. 'Wish I could grab a ticket.

I just wonder, can they beat ABMCB-4A's version? O'well. Break a leg!


Resources:
http://www.ananova.com
http://www.playbill.com

Photograph:
Getty Images
http://www.rediff.com