Bonnie Langford with her Ice partner, Matt Evers
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Langford Dances off Ice & into West End’s Chicago

Fresh from her appearance on ITV’s celebrity skating competition Dancing on Ice (See The Goss, 11 Jan 2006), Bonnie Langford (pictured) will return to the West End next month to star as murderess Roxie Hart in Chicago as the long-running musical moves house.

The former child star takes over from Linzi Hateley on 18 April 2006 at the Adelphi Theatre (where the musical opened in November 1997), and then transfers with the production on Friday 28 April 2006 to the Cambridge Theatre, where the original London production of the Kander and Ebb musical opened in April 1979 and ran for 603 performances.

Langford’s numerous theatre credits include Cats, Gypsy, Gone with the Wind, The Pirates of Penzance, Me and My Girl and Sweet Charity, as well as a national tour of Fosse, celebrating the work of choreographer Bob Fosse – the man who inspired the moves in Chicago - in 2004 (See News, 28 May 2004). She recently created the role of Judy in Pete 'N' Me at the New End Theatre, Hampstead, and starred in Big Night Out at the Little Palace Theatre, a new musical play written by Sandi Toksvig with music by Dillie Keane.

Chicago won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production as well as the 1998 Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical. The 1975 musical, about a wannabe jazz star turned murderess, is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins and has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

The current stage revival opened in 1996 on Broadway, where it continues to run, now in its third theatre. The subsequent London production reunited the US creative team. It’s directed by Walter Bobbie and designed by John Lee Beatty, with costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Ken Billington and sound by Rick Clarke. Musical supervision is by Rob Fisher and musical direction by Corin Buckeridge. Choreography is by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse.

The current London cast also features Debbie Kurup (Rent, Tonight’s the Night, West Side Story) as Velma Kelly. Chicago finishes on 22 April 2006 at the Adelphi in order to make way for Michael Grandage’s much-anticipated revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita, which opens in June (See News, 26 Jan 2006.

- by Caroline Ansdell

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