Baywatch meets bright lights in the big city – Pamela Anderson will be joining the cast of Chicago this spring as the musical’s newest leading lady, Roxie Hart.
Pamela Anderson is set to star in the Tony award-winning revival starting April 12 and will play an eight-week limited engagement until June 5.
Anderson will be making her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart
Chicago, the second longest-running musical currently on the Great White Way, will welcome Anderson as the show’s vain and narcissistic lead in her first Broadway run. The well-recognized role was first played by Gwen Verdon in the original 1975 production and portrayed by Ann Reinking in the 1996 revival.
The hit musical features music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and choreography by Bob Fosse. Based on the 1926 play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the character of Roxie Hart is the fictionalized version of real-life murderess Beulah Annan.
“I have always been a huge fan of Bob Fosse’s and Gwen Verdon’s work. Ann Reinking, too,” said Anderson. “Playing Roxie Hart is a dream fulfilled. Performing Fosse, you don’t have time to get in your head. You can’t dance, sing, and think at the same time. There is a freedom, a unique joy in knowing it’s all about the work. Playing Roxie Hart is a sweet escape for me.”
The actress, model, and former Playboy centerfold has been shaping up to be quite the 2022 hot topic. The biopic Hulu series Pam & Tommy was released earlier this year, which followed Anderson and Tommy Lee’s former whirlwind marriage and the legal battles regarding their infamous stolen sex tape.
Along with the popular new series, Netflix announced last week that it would also be releasing its own Pamela Anderson documentary, in which she will have the platform to tell her own real, authentic story.
Fans have mixed feelings over Anderson playing Roxie Hart
While many people have shown excitement over the chance to see Anderson perform live on a Broadway stage, others are not convinced it’s the right role for her.
One Twitter user took to the platform to show her excitement to see what Anderson will do with the role. “Hot take: I am SO excited to hear about Pamela Anderson in Chicago. She could just stand there and do nothing for 2 hours and I’d be delighted. She’s been through so much and I bet she’s so excited for this opportunity. Please be kind,” @themayqueen13 wrote.
“Pamela Anderson is so powerful, she literally made me buy tickets to see her as Roxie in Chicago. The producers of that show finally got me,” another user wrote.
Some fans of the actress are more so on the fence about the casting. Twitter user Mark Candler remembered a quote from Pamela Anderson during her time on the dancing reality show, Dancing With The Stars. “Well this should be interesting #Chicago #RoxieHart In her own words when she did #DWTS she described herself as “I have no rhythm, tone deaf but I like music,” he wrote.
Although the reactions to the announcement have been mixed, Anderson will still be fulfilling her lifelong dream this April when she steps onto the Ambassador Theatre stage as the iconic character, Roxie Hart.