Whoa! Joey Lawrence to Make B'way Debut as Billy Flynn in Chicago

Whoa! Joey Lawrence is set to make his Broadway debut as Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of Chicago. The former Gimme a Break! and Blossom teen heartthrob will appear in the show from May 4 through June 17, prior to the arrival of Harry Hamlin two days later.

At the age of five, Lawrence was cast as young Joey Donovan opposite late Broadway star Nell Carter in the hit sitcom Gimme a Break. As a teen, he earned a new base of fans as another Joey--dim and adorable Joey Russo on the sitcom Blossom, becoming famous for regularly uttering one word: "Whoa!" In the mid-1990s, Lawrence returned to sitcom television to star opposite brothers Matthew and Andrew in Brotherly Love and was also seen on American Dreams. More recently, a bald-headed Lawrence placed third in the third season of the ABC smash hit Dancing with the Stars. Big screen credits include Summer Rental, Chains of Gold, Oliver & Company, Radioland Murders and Urban Legends: Final Cut.

Although Lawrence has never sung on the Broadway stage, he did record two solo albums during the height of his fame on Blossom: Joey Lawrence and Soulmates. The dance-flavored albums yielded five singles including "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix," which cracked the Top 20 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

Chicago currently stars Bebe Neuwirth as Roxie Hart, Brenda Braxton as Velma Kelly, Philip Casnoff as Billy Flynn, Rob Bartlett as Amos Hart, Roz Ryan as Matron Mama Morton and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine. Neuwirth and Casnoff depart the production on Sunday, April 22.