Angelica Ross (POSE) will play Roxie in Chicago

https://www.playbill.com/article/pose-star-angelica-ross-will-make-broadway-debut-in-chicago

Exciting! I'm assuming she'll be the first trans person to play the role, at least on Broadway?

Yup! She’ll be making history - and I can’t wait to see it. Whoever is making the stunt casting calls as of late….good. job.

I'll be making a visit to the Ambassador to see Angelica Ross. In addition to her performing talents, I've long admired her for founding and nurturing TransTech Social Enterprises, which is "an incubator for LGBTQ Talent with a focus on economically empowering the T, transgender people, in our community. At TransTech, we learn and work together to develop skills and value within marginalized LGBTQ communities." Long before I discovered her acting talent, I admired Angelica Ross for her years of work developing this unique IT job skills training program.

Updated On: 8/4/22 at 11:23 AM

I'm THRILLED for this, even though she strikes me more as a Velma.

I want also want Michaela Jae Rodriguez as Roxie and Dominique Jackson as Velma!

Exciting casting news!

This is exciting. I have not seen CHICAGO in years. Have there been any updates regarding Mary Sunshine? Or are they still using the "man in a dress" for shock value? It seems they would have addressed this long ago.

Robbie2 said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Yup! She’ll be making history - and I can’t wait to see it. Whoever is making the stunt casting calls as of late….good. job."



Great casting - I agree but have no desire seeing Angelica as Roxie in Chicago."

What do we think rush will be like for her run? Has anyone done rush lately for this show? I’ll be in the city in mid September. I’ve never had any desire really to see this production, but this casting excites me!

Sutton Ross said: "I think it's incredibly amusing that people cannot WAIT to see her in this when all they did was bitch about how awful she was as Candy in Pose.

Weird."

I don’t know what unfortunate circles you’re apart of or what sites you visit, as most conversations I came across during the show was a lot of praise for her. I heard and know of many people who stopped watching once she was killed off…even though they ended up bringing her back as an angel/ghost/flashbacks, etc.

Tapping23 said: "There actually is a point to Mary Sunshine which doesn’t need updating and if you think it is just for shock value you missed the point entirely. Stick to Sound of Music."

I haven't seen Chicago on Broadway since I was a kid, so I'm asking this question genuinely: what IS the point of it?

Tapping23 said: "JBroadway said: "Tapping23 said: "There actually is a point to Mary Sunshine which doesn’t need updating and if you think it is just for shock value you missed the point entirely. Stick to Sound of Music."

I haven't seen Chicago on Broadway since I was a kid, so I'm asking this question genuinely: what IS the point of it?

First the original production used different Vaudeville tropes to tell the story. Cross dressing was used often and the more realistic the more it was regarded. It was also illegal on the street but they got away with it on stage. Google cross dressing and vaudeville.

secondly in the show it was used as a button to make Billy’s point that not everything is as it seems. How we freely will believe something that isn’t true and can be misled. The original staging Billy snatches the wig showing Mary is actually a man and they bow to one another. Mary is in on it because she believes in Roxy’s innocence. When a production can’t find a man they do a costume reveal to her being a stripper or something to show how this “pure” woman isn’t.


So it has roots in the history of how the story is told and in a comment in the press and public. It has absolutely nothing to do with being trans. So while yes it has “shock value” there is a point to it that was carefully planned."

^ This. It shows the hypocrisy and cynism surrounding the media's involvement in high profile events. Once Roxie and Velma are out of jail and a big hit, then the media flips sides to their convenience. It's very effective