$
James Monroe Iglehart
James Monroe Iglehart

James Monroe Iglehart to Join Broadway’s Chicago as Billy Flynn

This Tony Award-winning Genie will be heading to the Ambassador Theatre to “give ’em the old razzle dazzle.” James Monroe Iglehart will take over the role of Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of Chicago on January 17, replacing Tom Hewitt who has played the role since November 2021.

The cast of Chicago currently features Ana Villafañe as Roxie Hart, Bianca Marroquín as Velma Kelly, Tom Hewitt as Billy Flynn, Tony Award-winner Jennifer Fouché as Matron “Mama” Morton, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine. The cast also includes David Bushman, C. Caballero, Jennifer Dunne, Jessica Ernest, Jeff Gorti, Arian Keddell, Mary Claire King, Barrett Martin, Sharon Moore, Drew Nellessen, Celina Nightengale, Brian O’Brien, Denny Paschall, Jermaine R. Rembert, Rachel Schur, Michael Scirrotto, Christine Cornish Smith and Brian Spitulnik.

Iglehart has been seen on Broadway in Freestyle Love Supreme, Hamilton, Aladdin (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Memphis, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. On television, he has appeared on Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Fox’s Gotham, and as Lance Strongbow on Disney’s Tangled.

Chicago features a score by the legendary composing team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The current revival was directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Ann Reinking. The production includes a set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, and lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington.

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

Learn More About Chicago