Chicago returns to Birmingham Hippodrome in summer 2027 with Adam Garcia, Mica Paris and Sam Bailey

Razzle-dazzle is on its way back to Birmingham. The award-winning musical Chicago will play at Birmingham Hippodrome from 27 July to 7 August 2027 as part of a new UK tour, and the star casting has now been announced, What's On Birmingham reports.

Two-time Olivier Award nominee Adam Garcia will play the smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn, while the soul singer Mica Paris and The X Factor winner Sam Bailey return to share the role of the prison matron, Mama Morton.

Who is in the cast

They are joined by Charlotte Gooch as Velma Kelly, Jonathan Dryden Taylor as the long-suffering Amos Hart and R. Leonard as Mary Sunshine. The casting of Roxie Hart, the show's leading role, is still to be announced.

The company is completed by Bethany Adamson, Kofi Aidoo-Appiah, Gabby Antrobus, Jamie Armour, Talia Duff, Harvey Fawcett, Marie Finlayson, Sergio Giacomelli, Sam Holden, Aoife Kenny, Harrison Langham, Oliver Loades, Will Markendale, Gabrielle Parker and Tanith Williams.

Birmingham audiences will see both Mama Mortons: Sam Bailey performs from Tuesday 27 July to Saturday 31 July, and Mica Paris from Tuesday 3 August to Saturday 7 August.

The story

Set amid the decadence of 1920s Chicago, the musical tells the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her lover when he threatens to leave her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the press and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring the city's slickest criminal lawyer to turn her crime into a stream of sensational headlines, the kind, as the producers put it, that "might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids".

With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and its original staging by Bob Fosse, Chicago is one of the most successful musicals ever written. Songs such as "All That Jazz", "Razzle Dazzle" and "Cell Block Tango" have become standards, and its stylish, minimal staging, with the band on stage, has made it a favourite with audiences around the world.

Familiar faces

Adam Garcia first found fame in the West End and on screen, and has been nominated twice for Olivier Awards. Mica Paris is one of Britain's best-loved soul voices, with a career stretching back to the late 1980s, while Sam Bailey won The X Factor in 2013. Both singers have played Mama Morton before, which is why the producers describe them as "returning" to the role.

The tour is produced by David Ian for Crossroads Live, in association with Barry and Fran Weissler, the producers behind the long-running Broadway revival.

Booking

The Hippodrome is one of the busiest theatres in the country and a regular stop for major touring musicals. With the run still nine months away, there is plenty of time to plan a summer night out, and booking early usually means the best choice of seats. Tickets are available from birminghamhippodrome.com.