Valerie Simpson & Chaz Lamar Shepherd to Make Jazzy Broadway Returns in Chicago

Valerie Simpson, the music star who rose to fame alongside her late husband Nickolas Ashford as music team Ashford & Simpson, will make her first Broadway stage appearance in more than 40 years in the hit revival of Chicago. Simpson will take on the role of Matron "Mama" Morton beginning on March 12. She will succeed Kandi Burruss, who plays her final performance in the role as scheduled on March 11. Also joining Chicago on March 12 will be stage alum Chaz Lamar Shepherd (The Color Purple) as Billy Flynn. Shepherd will replace The Sting-bound star Tom Hewitt.

Writers and producers Ashford & Simpson first made their mark with the celebrated duets "Solid" and "Found a Cure." They crafted hit songs including the original versions of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Your Precious Love," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By." The pair made their Broadway stage debut in 1976 with the concert engagement Al Green/Ashford & Simpson. Music and lyrics by Ashford & Simpson have been heard on Broadway in An Evening with Diana Ross and Motown The Musical. In 2002, Ashford & Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

Chaz Lamar Shepherd made his Broadway debut as Harpo in the original production of The Color Purple. He also appeared as Curtis Taylor, Jr. in the national touring production of Dreamgirls.

Simpson and Shepherd will join a Chicago cast that includes Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart, Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly, Evan Harrington as Amos Hart and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine. Featuring a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by Kander and lyrics by Ebb, Chicago is the longest-running American musical on Broadway as well as the longest-running revival.