Mark Ballas Exits CHICAGO Mid-Performance Due to Illness: 'I Am Devastated'
Ballas has had to step away from performances due to an illness that hit both him and his household "very hard."
Mark Ballas was forced to step out of Monday's performance of Chicago on Broadway mid-show due to illness. After missing performances over the weekend due to illness, Ballas wrote on his Instagram Story that after trying to return for act one, he apologized for having to leave halfway through.
“I tried my best but l am still recovering and probably should have waited as I am not fully healed & my voice totally went out on me halfway through the first song,” Ballas wrote, Parade reports. “l apologize profusely to all that came out to see me & this wonderful cast. l am devastated."
Over the weekend, Ballas stated that the illness hit both him and his household "very hard." He went on to ask for grace with "aggressive DMs" from fans wanting to see him, clarifying that even his family that had flown in from England to see the show won't be able to watch him as "Billy Flynn."
“This illness has hit me and my whole household very hard. I have been doing everything I can to get back,” he posted on April 19. “Please have grace with some of your aggressive DMs. It’s not like I’m doing this on purpose or can prevent what is happening. I even have family that has flown in from England that won’t be able to see me perform now. This is a massive disappointment for me & again I can’t apologize enough. Thank you for understanding.”
Ballas has not yet revealed when he will be cleared to return to the production.
He reunites with his Dancing with the Stars partner Whitney Leavitt in the musical. The duo will appear in the production through May 3. Leavitt made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart, while Ballas previously appeared on Broadway in Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots.
The long-running musical, featuring a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, continues its record-setting run as the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
