The name on everyone’s lips is going to be Ariana Madix, who is set to make her Broadway debut in Chicago.
“I have some news. As of January 29, I will be playing Roxie Hart on Broadway in Chicago,” Madix, 38, revealed during the Wednesday, December 6, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark. “It is just the biggest dream come true. I can’t believe this is real life. I’m going to cry.”
Chicago’s official Instagram account confirmed on Wednesday that Madix’s run will last for about two months until March 24, 2024.
Chicago originally opened in New York City in 1975 following two performers, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, who find themselves on trial for murder and compete for the legal representation of the notorious Billy Flynn.
Madix’s Broadway announcement comes one day after her performance on the Dancing With the Stars season 32 finale. She and her pro partner, Pasha Pashkov, finished in third place behind runners-up Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach and champions Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy.
“I am so beyond grateful for this experience and the family that I’ve met during this process,” the Vanderpump Rules star wrote via her Instagram on Tuesday, December 5, gushing about her ballroom journey. “Every contestant, every pro, every person on the crew [and] every judge. I wish I could put into words what this has meant. This place and this show is magic.”
Long before Madix appeared on DWTS or rose to Bravo reality TV stardom, she had a passion for performing. She studied theater in college and was even a costume character at Disney World.
“[Broadway] was my big dream as a kid,” she noted on Live.
Despite Madix’s experience on the stage, joining DWTS (and grooving in heels) was a whole new experience.
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“I’m having the best time. If I could do rehearsals and performances every day for the rest of my life, I’d be happy. I find it so rewarding and fun,” she exclusively revealed in her Us Weekly cover story in October. “[The hardest part is] the wear and tear on the body. Regardless of being in shape or not, you’re not dancing in heels every day. That starts to affect you in ways you didn’t expect. [It’s] intense — I spend a lot of time icing my feet at home.”
Madix added at the time: “If you were to put me in my samba outfit three months ago and say, ‘OK, go have lunch in this on Vanderpump Rules,’ I would’ve been really self-conscious. But I’m focused more on what I’m doing and less on how I look, and that’s different for sure.”