Manchester Theatre | May 2027
All that jazz is heading to Quay Street. The 2027 UK and Ireland tour of Chicago plays Opera House Manchester from Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 May 2027, with Lauren Oakley as Roxie Hart, Adam Garcia as Billy Flynn and Sam Bailey as Mama Morton. It is a short five-day stop, so here are five reasons to book early.
1. A Strictly star makes her musical debut
Lauren Oakley, best known as a professional dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, takes on Roxie Hart in her musical theatre debut. She is no stranger to big stages, with credits including the Strictly Come Dancing Live! arena tour and the UK tour of Strictly The Professionals. She has also danced in Burn the Floor at Sadler’s Wells and on its international tour. She has toured the UK and Ireland in Him & Me/Together with Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice, and in This Is Me/Made in Italy with Giovanni Pernice. With dance at the heart of Chicago, it is a role that should play to her strengths.
2. Adam Garcia as the slickest lawyer in town
Two-time Olivier Award nominee Adam Garcia plays smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn. He earned those nominations for Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever and Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate, and most recently starred as Frank Farmer in the UK and international tour of The Bodyguard. His stage CV also takes in Fiyero in Wicked, Julian Marsh in 42nd Street and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. On screen he has appeared in Coyote Ugly, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express. He also finished second in the UK series of The Masked Dancer.
3. Sam Bailey returns as Mama Morton
The X Factor winner Sam Bailey steps back into a role she has played before, the formidable Mama Morton. Sam shot to fame winning The X Factor in 2013, and her debut single Skyscraper became the UK Christmas Number One, followed by her chart-topping album The Power of Love. She is currently playing Debbie in Mamma Mia! The Party at the O2 Arena. Her other theatre credits include Mrs Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Miss Hedge in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Betty Simpson in Fat Friends the Musical. With that voice and experience of the part, she is a natural fit.
4. A strong supporting cast
Charlotte Gooch plays Velma Kelly, bringing West End credits including Nini in Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain. Jonathan Dryden Taylor is Amos Hart, with a CV that includes Kinky Boots on tour and numerous National Theatre productions. R. Leonard makes their professional debut as Mary Sunshine. They are backed by a 15-strong company of dancers and singers. Together they bring to life the story of Roxie, a nightclub dancer who hires Chicago’s slickest lawyer to turn her crime into sensational headlines.
5. One of the great musicals
Created by John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, Chicago is packed with show-stoppers including “All That Jazz”, “Cell Block Tango” and “Razzle Dazzle”. It has won six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, and is the longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history. Since opening in New York in 1996, it has played in 38 countries and been seen by an estimated 35 million people. The show is now celebrating 30 years on Broadway. Set in the razzle-dazzle of the 1920s, its satire of fame and the media still feels remarkably current.
Tickets and info
Chicago
Opera House Manchester, 3 Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HP
Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 May 2027