Chicago

First Preview: Oct 23, 1996

Opening Date: Nov 14, 1996

Open run

Running Time: 02:30

http://www.chicagothemusical.com

Playing @

Ambassador Theatre

219 West 49th Street, New York City, NY 10019

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Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids.

After 27 years, Chicago is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz, with one showstopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. No wonder Chicago has been honored with 6 Tony Awards, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations. As they celebrate their 27th anniversary, you’ve got to come see why the name on everyone’s lips is still…Chicago.

Broadway Musical

Show Notes: 1 Intermission

Age Guidance: 13

Audience Advisory: Adult themes & content. Herbal cigarettes are used on stage. Children under 4 years old will not be admitted.

Performance Schedule

Visit telecharge.com for full schedule.

Music

John Kander

Lyrics

Fred Ebb

Book

Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse

Director

Walter Bobbie

Choreography

Ann Reinking

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Full-price tickets:

$74.50 - $298.00

Buy Tickets

Lottery & Rush

In-Person Rush: $49 tickets available at the Box Office only on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit 2 per customer. Subject to availability.

Standing Room: $27 tickets available at the Box Office, day of performance only when the performance is sold out. Limit 2 per customer. Subject to availability.

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Reviews

It's one of the great delights of Broadway in 2023 that the cast and crew of Chicago are still performing like it's opening night. ... If the veteran performers are the backbone of Chicago, the celebrity replacements (often derided as "stunt casting") are the lifeblood. ... These people bring fresh perspectives (and, crucially, new ticket-buyers) to the Ambassador Theatre. It's smart business and good dramaturgy in a musical that is all about the fleeting enchantment of public attention. ... The excellent ensemble does the rest, creating memorable moments within director Walter Bobbie's staging and the late Ann Reinking's precise Fosse-inspired choreography. ... All these performances pop within a design scheme (atypically spare set by John Lee Beatty, harshly theatrical lighting by Ken Billington, sexy sheer costumes by William Ivey Long) that establishes the essential mood of the piece with brilliant economy. ... Ten thousand performances later, it's still dazzling.

—Zachary Stewart, Theatermania (January 2023)

Read More
Ever inspiring and feeling even more timely now then when it was written, the female driven double murderess song and dancer is a romp through the corrupt prison and court systems of the 1920s. It feels as upbeat, smart and on point today as when it was written in 1975. You know a musical is intelligent, witty and connivingly devilish when its choicest songs about press manipulation, betrayal and selfishness could feel equally at home either on the Broadway stage or in any of the Presidential campaign trails in this election year. ... Fosse's sexy, halting, riveting choreographic style is in clear relief from the first step ... The show is a testament to the power of the music and libretto, which blaze out past the absence of big sets and scenery. What started as a witty tear down of established story telling and personal mores has become a timeless classic poking fun at the sins and sinners we accept, if they're beautiful, and the ideals we live by, like honesty and justice, which we're ready to give up if we choose to forgive two desirable criminals, and we do, rooting for them right to the end.

—Philip David Morton, HuffPost (December 2017)

Read More
It's one of the great delights of Broadway in 2023 that the cast and crew of Chicago are still performing like it's opening night. ... If the veteran performers are the backbone of Chicago, the celebrity replacements (often derided as "stunt casting") are the lifeblood. ... These people bring fresh perspectives (and, crucially, new ticket-buyers) to the Ambassador Theatre. It's smart business and good dramaturgy in a musical that is all about the fleeting enchantment of public attention. ... The excellent ensemble does the rest, creating memorable moments within director Walter Bobbie's staging and the late Ann Reinking's precise Fosse-inspired choreography. ... All these performances pop within a design scheme (atypically spare set by John Lee Beatty, harshly theatrical lighting by Ken Billington, sexy sheer costumes by William Ivey Long) that establishes the essential mood of the piece with brilliant economy. ... Ten thousand performances later, it's still dazzling.

—Zachary Stewart, Theatermania (January 2023)

Read More
Ever inspiring and feeling even more timely now then when it was written, the female driven double murderess song and dancer is a romp through the corrupt prison and court systems of the 1920s. It feels as upbeat, smart and on point today as when it was written in 1975. You know a musical is intelligent, witty and connivingly devilish when its choicest songs about press manipulation, betrayal and selfishness could feel equally at home either on the Broadway stage or in any of the Presidential campaign trails in this election year. ... Fosse's sexy, halting, riveting choreographic style is in clear relief from the first step ... The show is a testament to the power of the music and libretto, which blaze out past the absence of big sets and scenery. What started as a witty tear down of established story telling and personal mores has become a timeless classic poking fun at the sins and sinners we accept, if they're beautiful, and the ideals we live by, like honesty and justice, which we're ready to give up if we choose to forgive two desirable criminals, and we do, rooting for them right to the end.

—Philip David Morton, HuffPost (December 2017)

Read More

Accessibility

Box Office

Ticket lobby on slight incline. Press call button at main entrance for assistance. Counters vary in height from 36.25", 39", and 42.75". The window closest to the lobby entrance can be reached by patrons using wheelchairs.
Parking

Valet parking garage: West of theater. No high top vans.
Curb Ramps

North west corner of 49th Street & Broadway; North east corner of 49th Street & 8th Avenue.
Restroom

There is an A.D.A. Unisex bathroom adjacent to the ticket lobby. The door is 32" wide, the stall measures 78" by 90". Commode is 18" high. Grab bars are positioned around the toilet.
Seating

Seating is accessible to all parts of the Orchestra without steps. The Mezzanine is up 2 flights of stairs, a total of 38 steps. Please note, once on the Mezzanine level there are approximately 2 steps per row. Entrance to the Front Mezzanine is behind row E. Entrance to Rear Mezzanine is in front of row A. Hand rails are available at every stepped seat row.
Elevator\Escalator

There are no elevators or escalators at this theatre.
Telephone

None on premises
Entrance

The main entrance is up two steps with a handrail leading to double doors in a series: 1st set (each 27.5") to ticket lobby; 2nd set (each 26") lead to an inner lobby. Alternate entrance: Press call button at main entrance for assistance. At left of main entrance, double doors (each 55") lead into side alley and a second set of double doors (each 29") lead into the Orchestra.
Folding Armrests

Six (6) row-end seats with folding armrests are in orchestra, Five (5) are in mezzanine.
Water Fountain

A water fountain is available in the ticket lobby. The spout is 36" high. A second fountain is located on the Mezzanine Level.
Assisted Listening System

Reservations are not necessary. Drivers license or ID with printed address required as a deposit. Please call: (212) 582-7678 to reserve in advance. Closed Captioning is also available through the GalaPro app. For more information on GalaPro, check here: https://www.galapro.com/
Wheelchair Info

Wheelchair seating available. Theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair seating is located in the Orchestra only.
Translation

Subtitled language translations available in Japanese, Korean, Chinese & Hebrew for $5 on the GalaPro app. For more information, go to https://www.galapro.com/
Visual Assistance

Audio Description is also available through the GalaPro app. More information can be found here: https://www.galapro.com/

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