NEW YORK — Pamela Anderson is going from “Baywatch” to Broadway.
The actress and model will make her Broadway debut next month with a limited engagement playing Roxie Hart in “Chicago,” producers announced Monday.
The dancer-turned-murderer Roxie is the lead character in the long-running musical by Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse and John Kander.
“Playing Roxie Hart is a dream fulfilled,” Anderson said Monday in a statement. “Performing Fosse, you don’t have time to get in your head. You can’t dance, sing and think at the same time. There is a freedom, a unique joy in knowing it’s all about the work. Playing Roxie Hart is a sweet escape for me.”
The 54-year-old Anderson, who famously starred as C.J. Parker on “Baywatch,” begins her eight-week run in “Chicago” on April 12.
Her final performance is set to take place June 5.
Anderson becomes the latest big-name celebrity to portray Roxie on Broadway, with others including supermodels Christie Brinkley and Brooke Shields; singers Mel B, Brandy Norwood and Ashlee Simpson; reality stars Erika Jayne and Lisa Rinna; and stage standouts Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli.
Based on a 1926 stage play, the musical version of “Chicago” originated on Broadway in 1975 and ran until 1977. The show was revived in 1996 and has been playing ever since, making it Broadway’s longest-running musical.
Anderson got her break as an actress with a recurring role on the Tim Allen-led sitcom “Home Improvement” during the early 1990s, and later starred on the action series “V.I.P.” which she also executive produced.
Tickets for Anderson’s April performances are now available on the “Chicago” website or at the Ambassador Theatre on 49th Street in Manhattan, where the show plays eight times each week.
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