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All in the Family - Chicago Welcomes Back Bebe Neuwirth & More

WHO’S OUR MAMA?

Swinging through Chicago’s ever-revolving door of spotlight-grabbing leads is Bebe Neuwirth, who clearly enjoys mixing it up – a lot! Not only did she star as killer vamp Velma Kelly in the original 1997 revival cast (picking up a Tony for her efforts), she popped up a second time at the Ambassador Theatre as the equally murderous femme fatale Roxie Hart ten years later. And now she's back once more, bringing her considerable singing and dancing moxie to the role of corrupt and sassy Matron "Mama" Morton for an eight-week limited engagement from January 14th through March 9th.

Bebe Neuwirth returns to Chicago on Broadway

Evidently, Neuwirth is out to set a Broadway precedent by sporting a triptych of roles in a single production… and on both sides of the jailhouse bars.

Will she show up in a few years as “razzle-dazzle 'em” defense lawyer Billy Flynn? I wouldn’t rule it out.

WHO’S OUR DADDY?

After a diverse parade of Miss Hannigans – Tony winner Katie Finneran, Emmy-winner Jane Lynch and the latest misopedist with a heart of booze, Tony winner Faith Prince – the musical revival of Annie has a new Daddy Warbucks. Ron Raines has stepped into the role recently vacated by Aussie Anthony Warlow and will ride out the character through the show’s closing, slated for January 5th.

Ron Raines and Taylor Richardson in Annie on Broadway
Ron Raines and Taylor Richardson in Annie on Broadway.

Raines last appeared on Broadway just short of a year ago filling in for John Dossett as literary titan Joseph Pulitzer in Newsies; -- a fleeting follow-up to his 2011 Tony-nominated portrayal of Ben in the acclaimed revival of Follies. But that was then. In the now portion of his career, he’ll spend the next few weeks playing the Palace decked out in billionaire duds while he sings and dances alongside Broadway’s most recent Annie, 12-year-old Taylor Richardson.

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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