Jacqueline B. Arnold Talks Chicago, Confidence and Broadway Longevity

Mama’s been good to Jacqueline B. Arnold. The actress, currently playing Matron “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s Chicago, is back for more after her first stint playing the role in 2025. With a career as consistent as the long-running revival, it only makes sense Arnold finds herself in the sparkly pantsuit eight shows a week. Speaking with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek, Arnold reframes the inherent diva persona associated with many of the characters she's played throughout the course of her career: “I would like to believe that I'm much more humble than that. I mean, I don't walk in a room and cower. I'm definitely who I am and I'm very secure in who I am. So if you take that as diva, then so be it. I just call it confidence.”

Arnold’s resume boasts many a prima donna. Despite the stereotype that all divas are high maintenance and notoriously demanding, Mama Morton is as chill as it gets. “It's a good gig,” Arnold confesses. “Can't complain. She's a cute little, as they call it, a ‘park and bark.’ I literally walk out, sing a song, do a scene, sit down. It's great. My knees love it.” And so does Arnold. In fact, she loves the role so much that she waited over 20 years to officially put her spin on the Countess of the Clink. “People have been trying to get me to sing and play Mama Morton since I was probably 30, and I didn't feel seasoned enough to do so,” she says. “It has come around in my life some years later, where I actually feel like I can settle into it. It's been really, really wonderful.”

Twenty years in the making, Arnold has a very clear idea of who Mama Morton should be. “I think she has a different kind of bravado about her. Not only is she statuesque in any form—that doesn't mean you have to be tall or a larger-bodied person—it just means you have to have a certain amount of confidence within yourself to be able to run a prison,” she says. “It's a really, really cool character to play and get to really dive into.” While many stars have stepped in for Mama, Arnold points to the secret sauce that unites them all: “You can make her pretty much anything you want except weak.”

From starting out in Bright Lights, Big City, to touring with Rent and Hairspray and even joining Bette Midler's merry group of "Harlettes," Arnold's career is full of standout performances. Through her time working on these jobs and many more, she’s met loads of inspirational people—namely women. “I learned a lot about the industry and being a woman in the industry and everything being solely on your name and what kind of pressure that looks like,” she says, explaining that despite learning some of the hardships of the industry from these women, “I realized I am very, very blessed. Very. I don't think I'm not talented. I'm talented, not taking that away. But luck has been on my side.”

Having now reached a comfortable spot, Arnold reflects on a pivotal moment early in her career. Before booking Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, she was ready to quit the business. “In 2009, I'd moved back home to California, and I happened to go on Actors' Equity. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was one of my favorite movies," she shares. "I said, ‘Oh, there's no way I can't go back and audition for this." She stayed with a friend to make the audition. Arnold recalls, “I fought tooth and nail to get that job. Only because dancing-wise, I can dance, but if you're not a regular, everyday, you-take-class dancer, it takes a minute to get the steps sometimes.” After putting in the work, Arnold found out she was the first person to book the show on Broadway. If you're looking for a sign to never give up, look no further.

Even with so many milestones reached, Arnold has important goals going forward. “You can still touch people and I hope to always do that in the rest of my career, whatever that may be,” she says. Apart from acting, Arnold says, “I also would love to direct one day, but you know, we'll see what happens with that.” Whatever path she takes next, Arnold remains focused on using storytelling to connect with audiences in meaningful ways. Stop by the Cook County Jail, and Mama can be good to you, too.

Watch the interview below!

Get tickets to Chicago!