Baltimore Mayor to Join CHICAGO Touring Cast on Stage for Performance Next Month

On Wednesday, March 4, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will make theatrical history when she joins the National Touring cast of Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical smash Chicago, for one performance only at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center.

"I am honored to be the first mayor to appear in Chicago -- one of the most historic shows in Broadway history -- and I want to reassure the cast and crew that I am already hard at work rehearsing my lines," said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. "I always love to show off the 'razzle dazzle' of Baltimore's flourishing cultural scene, from expanding our Arts & Entertainment Districts, to growing Baltimore's downtown theater corridor and all that jazz. I cannot wait to make my big debut in an amazing show like Chicago."

"We are delighted that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will be making a special appearance in Chicago," said Executive Producer Alecia Parker. "Her passion and advocacy for the arts is equaled by her desire to bring quality entertainment to Baltimore, specifically to the Hippodrome Theatre, which is a premier U.S. destination. The Chicago cast is thrilled to be sharing the stage with her."

The critically acclaimed National Tour of Chicago plays a one-week return engagement at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre, March 3-8, 2015.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake will join the ensemble cast at various points throughout the 8 p.m. performance on Wednesday, March 4.

The National Touring cast of Chicago stars Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart, Terra C. MacLeod as Velma Kelly, John O'Hurley as Billy Flynn, Jacob Keith Watson as Amos Hart and Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton.

With a legendary score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, Chicago is now the longest-running American musical in Broadway history -- and it shows no sign of ever slowing down!
Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, Chicago is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.

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.

CHICAGO is directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking, with set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

Visit www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.