For a girl from Orlando, Florida, playing Roxie Hart in the national tour of “Chicago” has been a dream come true.
“I pinch myself every day,” Ellie Roddy told LA Theatrix in a phone interview from the tour. “There are certain moments in the show when I just let myself soak it in and not take it for granted. It’s a really big dream being fulfilled right now.”
Arriving in Southern California next weekend at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, “Chicago” is a razzle-dazzle Broadway musical with lithe Bob Fosse-inspired choreography by Ann Reinking.
As the Cerritos Center describes the story: “In the whirlwind of Chicago’s Jazz Age, two notorious murderesses – vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart – become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy.”
For Roddy, who grew up performing in stage shows at Universal Studios and Disney World, “Chicago” is the highlight of her career so far.
“I love it so much,” she said of the show. “It is everything I love about musical theatre wrapped up in one.”
Now half way through the show’s national tour and with more than 100 performances under her (garter) belt, Roddy says playing Roxie is still a journey of learning and discovery.
“It is so invigorating,” she said. “I’ve learned so much and I continue to learn so much getting to play this iconic role. There are so many emotions that you get to explore. I feel like I keep learning something new every single time I step into that world.”
For this production, director David Hyslop and choreographer Gregory butler have recreated Bob Fosse’s original 1975 direction and choreography of the show. Roddy said both ask her and the rest of the cast to stay in the moment and be present as they perform, even after so many shows on tour.
“They encourage making sure you’re still thinking, you’re still letting the character breathe and live, and still discovering and finding those moments and figuring it out,” Roddy said. “Being encouraged and given the room to be able to play around and still think on my feet is really special.”
Nonetheless, performing in this high-voltage, physically demanding show is “definitely a marathon” with a “go, go, go” momentum, she said.
“Whenever I’m not on stage, I’m either going backstage to change or I am getting a sip of water or relaxing in small moments of the show where I get downtime,” she said. “But it does keep going. Once you start the train, there’s no stopping it!”
Getting to perform in distinctive venues for audiences around the country keeps Roddy energized, she said, as does appreciating views of the country from the tour bus, including a recent drive through the Pacific Northwest she called “the most beautiful drive” she’s ever been on.
“All these houses we’ve gotten to play in, all these big, illustrious, gorgeous theaters — and the energy that the crowds give — it just makes it feel fresh,” Roddy said.
She added that “Chicago” continues to wow audiences today because of iconic songs like “All That Jazz” and “Razzle Dazzle”— with their music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb — as well as the show's racy but sleek look and choreography.
Audiences may also recognize our current world in the story, she said. The musical is based on a 1926 play by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, a satirical take on corrupt criminal justice and the concept of the “celebrity criminal.”
“The actual story itself is nearly a hundred years old at this point, and it is still applicable to this day,” Roddy said. “We see how people will feign certain things to appear a certain way in the press and in the media and how that can get twisted so quickly — good or bad.”
She also encouraged Cerritos Center audiences to enjoy the performance as a musical comedy, to share in that experience with the performers.
“Don’t be afraid to laugh and to cheer and to be present, be in on this journey with us,” she said brightly. “We want the audience to be in on it.”
“Chicago” will perform at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Dr., Cerritos, on Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at (562) 916-8500 or visit CCPA.cerritos.gov.
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