Valerie Simpson & Chaz Lamar Shepherd Return to Broadway in Chicago

Music star Valerie Simpson and stage alum Chaz Lamar Shepherd join the cast of Broadway's Chicago on March 12. Simpson takes on the role of Matron "Mama" Morton while Shepherd steps into the shoes of Billy Flynn. Kandi Burruss and Tom Hewitt played their final performance in the musical revival on March 11.

Simpson and her late husband Nickolas Ashford rose to fame as music team Ashford & Simpson. 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. 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.