Pamela Anderson has been cast in Chicago, her first Broadway musical.
The show will open next month at the Ambassador Theatre in New York. She will play the role of Roxie Hart from 12 April to 5 June.
“From Baywatch to Broadway. I am inspired by the unexpected,” Anderson said in a statement on Monday (7 March) to the Associated Press.
“This is it, and I will not hold back anymore. I am letting go. I am ready to see what I’m capable of,” she added. “For Chicago, I’ll be putting all my cards on the table. I am doubling down – on me.”
The 1975 musical is set in Chicago during the Jazz Age and tells the story of Hart, who kills her lover after he threatens to leave her.
Producer Barry Weissler addressed Anderson’s role saying: “The difference between her as Pam and Roxie is Roxie doesn’t care about anyone but herself, and she doesn’t give a damn about the outside world as long as she can be famous. So Pam comes with totally opposite attributes in life, but she fits because of her celebrity, what she’s gone through in life.”
Weissler had previously approached Anderson for the more than a decade ago.
“Now that we’re doing it, it’s even more opportune. It’s more timely,” he said. “She can surprise a lot of people. The woman has acting chops. She certainly can dance, and her singing voice is quite good. So here we go.”
The 1990s-set series Pam & Tommy has restored public interest in the actor’s life and Anderson recently announced that she is working with Netflix on an authorised documentary.
Anderson will star in Chicago from 12 April to 5 June at the Ambassador Theatre.
