Cuba Gooding Jr. is set to return to Broadway later this year, joining the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical “Chicago.”
He will once again star as the smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn starting Oct. 6 through Nov. 18 at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre. Gooding played the part in his West End debut earlier this year in the play’s London production.
In 2013, the actor made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-nominated production of “The Trip to Bountiful” alongside Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams.
His other film and TV credits include “Boyz n the Hood” (1991), “Jerry Maguire” (1996), for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, “Pearl Harbor” (2001), “American Gangster” (2007), “The Butler” (2013) and “Selma” (2014). Most recently, he portrayed O.J. Simpson in the FX true crime drama series “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
Broadway’s “Chicago” currently stars Michelle DeJean as Roxie Hart, Terra C. MacLeod as Velma Kelly, John O’Hurley as Billy Flynn, Evan Harrington as Amos Hart, Cady Huffman as Matron “Mama” Morton and R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine.
Walter Bobbie is directing the now longest-running American musical in Broadway history, which is produced by Barry and Fran Weissler. It has won six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cat Recording.
The famed story follows Roxie Hart, a nightclub dancer who murders her lover after he threatens to leave her. By hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer, she manages to turn her crime into a series of sensational headlines.
17 Top-Grossing Broadway Musicals of All Time, From 'Hamilton' to 'The Lion King' (Photos)
A ranked list of the biggest hits on the Great White Way, as of March 8, 2020 (according to The Broadway League)
17. "Rent" (original production) Opened: April 29, 1996 Closed: Sept. 7, 2008 Gross: $274.2 million
16. "The Producers" Opened: April 19, 2001 Closed: April 22, 2007 Gross: $288.4 million
15. "Mary Poppins" Opened: Nov. 16, 2006 Closed: March 3, 2013 Gross: $294.6 million
14. "Miss Saigon" (original production) Opened: April 11, 1991 Closed: Jan. 28, 2001 Gross: $298.7 million
13. "Kinky Boots" Opened: April 4, 2013 Closed: April 7, 2019 Gross to date: $319.0 million
12. "Les Misérables" (original production) Opened: March 12, 1987 Closed: May 18, 2003 Gross: $406.3 million