Luba Mason will be the Next Velma Kelly in Chicago

By: May. 24, 2005
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Luba Mason will take over as Velma Kelly in the long-running Chicago revival. Mason, who will succeed Brenda Braxton, has signed on for a run that will begin on June 28th and extend to January 4th, 2006.

Braxton will return to the touring company of Chicago after leaving the show on June 26th; the tour will play Japan in the summer.

Mason will portray the sultry Velma opposite Charlotte D'Amboise's Roxie. Currently featured in the cast of Chicago are Mary Testa as Matron "Mama" Morton, R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine, P.J. Benjamin as Amos Hart and Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn.

Mason's Broadway credits include The Capeman, Jekyll & Hyde, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Will Rogers Follies, Sid Caesar & Company and Late Nite Comic. Regionally, she has been seen in Show Boat and the recent Reprise! mounting of Pippin. On screen and television, she has appeared in "Law & Order," "New York Undercover," "One Life to Live," "Another World" and "Scandalous Art." Her solo CD Collage was recently released on PS Classics, and her voice can also be heard on such recordings as The Stephen Schwartz Album.

The revival of Chicago, which opened on November 14th 1996, has reached a run of over 3, 500 performances. Currently at the Ambassador Theatre, it has yo-yoed from the Richard Rodgers Theatre to the Shubert Theatre to the present one. The Chicago revival opened with Ann Reinking as Roxie, Bebe Neuwirth as Velma, Joel Grey as Amos and James Naughton as Billy. Under Walter Bobbie's direction and Reinking's choreography, Chicago received 6 1997 Tonys (including Best Revival of a Musical). The revival, based on Bobbie's stylistically stripped-down Encores! staging, featured direction and choreography by Bob Fosse in its original 1975 production.

The Ambassador Theatre is located at 215 W. 49th Street

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