INTERVIEW: Charlotte d’Amboise on her memories as Roxie in ‘Chicago’
Photo: Two-time Tony nominee Charlotte d’Amboise stars as Roxie Hart in Chicago the Musical. She is joined by Ryan Worsting (left) and Michael Cusumano (right). Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by BBB with permission.
Charlotte d’Amboise, the hugely successful theater star, has an enviable résumé that includes iconic shows likes A Chorus Line, Pippin and Sweet Charity, plenty of awards and nominations, and definite credibility in the Broadway industry. Perhaps her most memorable role is Roxie Hart in the still-running and still-successful revival of Chicago the Musical at the Ambassador Theatre in Midtown Manhattan.
D’Amboise’s history with the role dates back to the first national tour, and since then, she has revisited the part on Broadway several times. The performer is always a welcome addition to the cast, and it’s a treat for theatergoers to catch her incomparable turn as the murderous Roxie, singing such classics as “Funny Honey,” “Me and My Baby” and “Roxie.”
For those not in the in-crowd, Chicago the Musical tells the story of a group of women jailed for murder and how they utilize a snazzy lawyer and gullible press to claim their innocence to the public. This revival of the musical has been running strong for a quarter of a century, making it one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. Along the way, Chicago was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie, and the phrase “All that Jazz” has pretty much become the motto of Broadway.
The actor’s time in Chicago has tracked with many chapters in her own life, and in a candid interview with Hollywood Soapbox, she opened up about the memories of playing this indelible role on Broadway for thousands of audience members. One of the memories that immediately came to the surface is that of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still causing headaches in the theater industry. D’Amboise had recently left the show when the theater district shut down in March 2020.
“I was about to go back in,” d’Amboise said in a recent phone interview. “I had left the show, and then I had a couple months off or so. Then I was supposed to go back in April, and I think they closed down in March. But it was really weird. Literally the day that Broadway shut down, I tore my glute and abductor, like my whole side of my leg, ripped muscle. It was so crazy. It popped, so it happened the day Broadway closed down. I was like, oh my God, this is so strange, and then I was on crutches for two months. Nobody knew. I went upstate, and nobody even knows I’m injured. And I can heal this properly, so that was kind of cool. I wouldn’t even have been able to go in. … I was really able to heal it. I never really feel like I heal things properly because I’m always going into something, so I’m always pushing it a little bit too much, whatever injuries I get, trying to get myself back. This time, I was like, OK, chill out and relax. I was so calm, and it healed perfectly, perfectly. That’s my story.”
And d’Amboise has many stories to tell. When she typically receives the call to return to the Roxie part, the commitment is for a few weeks, maybe a couple months. Her current run takes her well into 2023 for several months, one of her longest stints in the show, and she is more than happy to oblige.
“The thing that’s so great is that usually when I come in, I come in for a couple months, so it’s not like I’m tied down,” she said. “Plus, they allow me outs. I’m going to have a concert here, I have a concert there, I have some television outs, so there’s really no reason for me not to do it because it really doesn’t interfere with anything work-wise. … It’s a lovely gift. It’s really a gift. All these years it’s been like that.”
When the pandemic shut Chicago and the rest of Broadway, d’Amboise had that extra time to heal from her injury, but then a year and a half later, the show reopened at the Ambassador Theatre. She wasn’t contracted to appear, but it didn’t take long for her to receive the call again — almost like a Bat signal in the sky, or call it a Roxie signal.
“I remember they opened, and within two months, they called me the day of,” said d’Amboise, who has twice been nominated for a Tony Award. “They were like, ‘Can you come in tonight? Someone’s got COVID, and we need somebody. All of the covers are out. Can you just come in for the night?’ Literally that day. I was like, oh my God, and I hadn’t done anything for a year and a half with the whole COVID thing. I was like, ‘Ah OK, sure, yeah.’ So I went in that night. All I needed to do was look at the script. If I look at the script and go over the lines, then everything else falls into place. The other thing I ask for is to go on the ladder once before I do it, just to kind of feel the ladder.”
That ladder is one of the distinct images of the musical. Roxie climbs several steps up the ladder and then is swung onto stage to sing and dangle from great heights over the audience’s heads. It’s a nerve-wracking scene because the actor is perilously high, but for d’Amboise, the concern has less to do with the heights and more to do with the choreography.
“I have no vertigo,” she said. “Going on the ladder for me is just the choreography. I just want to remember what the heck I did up there. That’s the only reason why I need to go up there beforehand, but when I was pregnant — at one point I was pregnant doing the show — and I remember I suddenly got fearful of going up on the ladder. It was instinct. I was like, oh my God. I would get scared. I would just go up like two steps of the ladder, literally pathetically, like barely off the ground. They would turn me in. I could literally step down to the ground. I did the show until I was five months pregnant, so that was kind of crazy. But that was the only time I’ve ever been fearful.”
D’Amboise counts herself a fan of the many guest stars who populate the other roles in the show, including Velma Kelly, Matron “Mama” Morton, Amos Hart and Billy Flynn. Over the years many Hollywood actors and reality TV stars have graced the stage of the Ambassador Theatre, and d’Amboise is happy to welcome them to the ensemble. Right now, she is acting alongside Lana Gordon (Velma), who is also returning to Chicago the Musical, and Ryan Silverman (Billy), who appeared in Side Show on Broadway.
“It’s refreshing for the cast,” d’Amboise said. “I think it’s really what’s helped maintain the show. I have to say, adding those new people, everybody has to pull together. It’s just exciting for a little bit, something new. … So it helps morale. Oddly enough it helps morale. Definitely I have my people that I love. When the cast is great, and you have everybody that’s really the best and on their game for their roles, it really makes a difference. There’s no question. For me especially, when everybody really nails their numbers, by the time I get to the ‘Roxie’ number, I barely have to do anything. We already have them because Mama has her song, Billy Flynn has nailed all his songs, they’re already applauding by the end of ‘Gun,’ and then I start my monologue, and they’re already at a high level.”
She added: “They usually bring in a star, and then they surround the star with people that really know the show well. So they’re supporting that person. It’s hard to come in for a short amount of time and have never done the show before. It’s not an easy thing, but it’s fine. I can do it with anybody at this point. I’ve done it for so long. It’s just like, OK, who’s next?”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Chicago the Musical, now featuring Charlotte d’Amboise as Roxie Hart, continues its run at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
