STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Alyssa Milano , perhaps best known for her starring role as Samantha Micelli in the 1980′s ABC sitcom, “Who’s the Boss?,” and WB’s “Charmed,” will make her Broadway debut come fall in “Chicago,” that has the distinction of being named the longest-running American musical in Broadway at the Ambassador Theater.
The legendary hit musical is all set to open on Monday, Sept. 16 for an eight-week engagement through Sunday, Nov. 10.
The former Staten Islander, who once called Great Kills home, and in fact lived just a few blocks from fellow child actor Ricky Schroder, is looking with enthusiasm toward charming audiences in her new role of Roxie Hart — and adding her celebrity status to the show that was honored with six Tony Awards®, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations. For Milano, hitting the stage is a return to her roots. According to Advance archives, when she was 7 years-old (and living on Staten Island with her talent manager/mom Lin and her film music editor dad, Thomas), her baby-sitter took her to an audition for the musical “Annie.
” But instead of the baby-sitter getting the part, Milano would wind up landing a role as one of the orphans and was in a national touring company at age 8, according to an Associated Press story. She then went on to star in Wendy Wasserstein’s “Tender Offer” at the off-Broadway Ensemble Studio Theater and “All Night Long” at Second Stage. She was in the first American musical adaptation of “Jane Eyre” and produced and starred in a Los Angeles production of “Butterflies Are Free.
” Milano says doing a stint on Broadway never felt completely right until now. Her children — ages 9 and 12 — are settled in school and extracurricular activities, and her husband is in a good place in his career. “It just felt like when this offer came up that everything fell into place,” she says.
“My 9-year-old daughter looked at me and said, ‘Mom, you would be an idiot not to do this.’” In recent years, she was in the movies “Brazen” and “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later” and the Netflix series “Insatiable.” A LITTLE ABOUT “CHICAGO” Set in the 1920s, “Chicago” is a stinging satire of how show business and the media can make celebrities out of criminals.
It’s chock full of Bob Fosse-inspired choreography, scatily-clad customes and riveting tunes like “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango.” “Chicago” tells the story of Roxie, a housewife and dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to leave her. To avoid conviction, Roxie hires Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to help her dupe the public, media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by creating shocking headlines.
Milano goes on to explain she has a desire to honor the amazingly talented Ann Reinking — the iconic Fosse collaborator who originated Roxie in the 1996 revival and created the choreography in Fosse’s style who died suddenly in December of 2020. “I’m really trying to pay homage to her choreography and her portrayal of Roxie. Because she was profound.
” The celebrity-craving heroine at the heart of “Chicago′′ has been played by scores of women since the show opened in 1996, including Pamela Anderson, Melanie Griffith, Christie Brinkley, Marilu Henner, Brooke Shields, Lisa Rinna, Gretchen Mol, Ashlee Simpson, Brandy Norwood, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Givens. Milano hopes fans will come out and see her more than once. “I guarantee you I’m going to keep finding things — keep finding little moments that will, hopefully, add onto the legacy of all the women who came before me.
” “The beauty of theater is that you get to try new things every night,” Milano told The Associated Press. “That’s what I used to love about doing theater. And that’s what I hope that I can find again in doing ‘Chicago.
’” In addition to starring opposite Tony Danza in “Who’s the Boss?” Milano played Jennifer Mancini in “Melrose Place,” Phoebe Halliwell in “Charmed,” Billie Cunningham in “My Name is Earl,” Savannah “Savi” Davis in “Mistresses,” Renata Murphy in “Wet Hot Amerian Summer: Ten Years Later,” and Coralee Armstrong in “Insatiable.” And as an activist, she’s known for her role in the MeToo Movement in October 2017..
