NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham will make her Broadway debut this spring in the musical 鈥淐hicago,鈥 adding her celebrity to a show that gleefully skewers celebrity culture.
Graham, who made Time鈥檚 鈥100 Most Influential People in the Word鈥 in 2017 and Glamour鈥檚 鈥淲oman of the Year鈥 in 2016, will play Roxie Hart from April 15-May 25 at the Ambassador Theatre.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored to make my Broadway debut as the iconic Roxie Hart," she said in a statement. "I鈥檓 deeply grateful to be able to embrace this new challenge and excited to share the stage with this incredible company.鈥
Graham made it into the mainstream when she appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 2016, which led to the cover of Vogue magazine and a gig as a judge on 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Next Top Model.鈥
She also wrote the memoir, 鈥淎 New Model: What Confidence, Beauty & Power Really Look Like鈥 and most recently hosted Roku鈥檚 鈥淪ide Hustlers鈥 and HGTV鈥檚 鈥淏arbie Dreamhouse Challenge.鈥
Set in the 1920s, 鈥淐hicago鈥 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 鈥淎ll That Jazz鈥 and 鈥淐ell Block Tango.鈥
鈥淐hicago鈥 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鈥檚 slickest criminal lawyer to help her dupe the public, media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by creating shocking headlines.
The celebrity-craving heroine at the heart of 鈥淐hicago鈥 has been played by dozens of women since the show opened in 1996, including Melanie Griffith, Christie Brinkley, Marilu Henner, Brooke Shields, Lisa Rinna, Gretchen Mol, Ashlee Simpson, Brandy Norwood, and Robin Givens.
