Summer Blockbusters: Chicago by the Numbers—and All That Jazz

This summer, we’re highlighting Broadway’s blockbusters—the high-flying feats of entertainment that provide reprieve from a sweltering cityscape. Approaching 30 years on Broadway (in three theaters: the Richard Rodgers, the Shubert and its current home at the Ambassador Theatre), the revival of Chicago is the longest-running production currently on the Great White Way. The Tony-winning production opened in 1996 and shows no signs of slowing down. We’re breaking down the jazz hot musical by the numbers, from the long list of stars it has featured to the amount of roses thrown!

Chicago has played in over 525 cities in 38 countries and has been seen by more than 34 million people worldwide.

Bebe Neuwirth is the only performer to play three principal parts in Chicago on Broadway. The triple-threat won a Tony in 1997 for her turn as Velma and returned to the production in 2006 to play Roxie. In 2014, Neuwirth had her third stint at the Cook County Jail as Matron “Mama” Morton.

This past season, 23 new cast members joined the show, with an additional 20 returning to the production. New company members have one put-in rehearsal before they perform in front of an audience.

For dance captain/swing Chelsea James, the put-in process is part of what keeps Chicago exciting. “No matter who is joining the company or what track they’re stepping into—whether a Broadway veteran or an artist making their debut—put-in day is always magical. It’s the day we see that artist on stage with the full company for the first time, when everything they’ve been working toward finally comes together," says James.

Four Oscar winners have razzle dazzled in the production. Joel Grey played Amos Hart in the revival’s original cast. Louis Gossett Jr. and Cuba Gooding Jr. took the stand as Billy Flynn in 2002 and 2018, respectively, with Gooding returning to the scene of the crime a year later. Most recently, Mira Sorvino made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in 2025.

Four Real Housewives alums have been in Chicago on Broadway. Erika Jayne of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills played Roxie in early 2020 and returned to the role in 2025. RHOBH vet Lisa Rinna also donned Roxie’s fishnets in 2007 alongside her husband, Harry Hamlin, who played Billy Flynn. The Real Housewives of Atlanta fan favorites NeNe Leakes and Kandi Burress took on Matron “Mama” Morton in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Jayne, Rinna, Hamlin and Leakes are among the 15 Dancing with the Stars participants who have performed in Chicago. Earlier this year, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives breakout Whitney Leavitt starred as Roxie alongside her DWTS partner Mark Ballas, who is set to return to the role of Billy Flynn on July 20. Other notable DTWS contestants who have had stints in Chicago include Jerry Springer, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mel B and Rumer Willis.

Eight roses are thrown every performance: four from Roxie, four from Velma. As of show #11673 (June 28, 2026), there have been 93,384 roses thrown out to the audience.

There are 24 custom-made wigs currently backstage. If a wig is well maintained, it will last 10-15 years. Sophie Carmen-Jones, who currently plays Velma, uses nine pin curls before donning her iconic bob wig.

Danielle M. Gonzalez plays “Cell Block Tango” murderess Mona and serves as a Velma understudy. “Velma is such an iconic role, and the moment I saw myself in those costumes, I felt the weight of the history and legacy of all the extraordinary women who have worn them before me,” says Gonzalez of the first time she slipped into her Velma gear. “It was empowering, humbling, and a reminder of what a privilege it is to be part of the Chicago family."

The original Broadway staging of Chicago ran for a little over two years, playing 936 performances and 24 previews from June 1975 to August 1977.

Chicago was in development for six years before it premiered on Broadway. Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse acquired the rights to Maurine Dallas Watkins’ play of the same name in 1969. After a trial run in Philadelphia, Chicago opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre), with Verdon as Roxie and Fosse serving as director and choregrapher. Fosse also co-wrote the show’s book with lyricist Fred Ebb.

The revival of Chicago won six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Six must be Chicago’s lucky number. The 2002 film adaptation of Chicago grossed $306.8 million at the box office and won six Oscars, including Best Picture.

Ann Reinking collaborated with Bob Fosse five times. The late theater legend made her Broadway debut in the chorus of Pippin, which Fosse directed and choreographed. She went on to replace Verdon in the original staging of Chicago. In 1978, Reinking performed in Fosse’s revue Dancin’ and appeared as a fictionalized version of herself shortly thereafter in his film All That Jazz. A year before his death, Reinking replaced Debbie Allen as Charity Hope Valentine in the Fosse-helmed 1986 revival of Sweet Charity. Reinking choreographed the revival of Chicago in the style of Fosse and was the production’s first Roxie. In 1998, she co-created, co-directed and co-choreographed the Broadway tribute Fosse.

Since 1996, 56 principal performers have taken on the role of Roxie on Broadway. Stars who have embodied the killer diller include Pamela Anderson, Melanie Griffith, Ariana Madix, Brandy Norwood, Michelle Williams and Brooke Shields. 

Charlotte d'Amboise holds the record for playing Roxie more than any other actress in the history of Chicago, with over 3,600 performances on both Broadway and the show’s national tour.

The word “gun” is said 72 times in Chicago. “Jazz” is said 35 times.

We ran the numbers and your number’s up—it’s time to book it to Chicago! Make your way to the Ambassador Theatre to see why the scintillating tale of sin reigns supreme. Stay tuned for more features as we spotlight Chicago throughout the week. Your summer is about to get even hotter.

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