Broadway’s long-running hit Chicago is welcoming a new “keeper of the keys.” Angela Grovey will return to Broadway to take on the role of Matron “Mama” Morton at the Ambassador Theatre beginning September 15, taking over from Jacqueline B. Arnold.
Set in the roaring 1920s, Chicago follows Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two rival vaudeville performers who find themselves behind bars for murder. With the help of smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn and the shrewd prison matron Mama Morton, both women vie for fame, fortune, and acquittal — proving that in a city fueled by jazz, corruption, and celebrity culture, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Grovey made her Broadway debut in Leap of Faith and later appeared in Escape to Margaritaville. She’s toured with The Play That Goes Wrong and Newsies, and starred in Jocelyn Bioh’s Merry Wives for Shakespeare in the Park, later broadcast on PBS. On screen, she can currently be seen in Reasonable Doubt, which returns for its third season September 18, as well as Modern Love, 30 Rock, The Blacklist, and Iron Fist. Offstage, Grovey serves as executive director of Broadway Inspirational Voices, the nonprofit dedicated to using music to uplift communities in need.
Her first performance as Mama Morton will coincide with another milestone for Chicago: Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino makes her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart that same night.
The current cast also features Bianca Marroquín as Velma Kelly, Tam Mutu as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart, and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine, alongside an ensemble including Zach Bravo, Jessica Ernest, James T. Lane, Mikayla Renfrow, and more.
The Tony-winning revival of Chicago, directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Ann Reinking, has been running on Broadway since 1996, making it the second-longest running show in Broadway history. With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and the iconic staging inspired by Bob Fosse, the musical has played in 36 countries and been seen by more than 33 million people worldwide.