After conquering the beach, “Baywatch” luminary Pamela Anderson will now try to dominate Broadway.
Anderson will portray Roxie Hart, the morally flexible antiheroine at the heart of “Chicago,” the long-running revival of the Kander and Ebb/Bob Fosse classic. She steps into a role previously played by Gwen Verdon, Ann Reinking, Brooke Shields, Ashlee Simpson and Melanie Griffith. It marks Anderson’s Broadway debut. She’ll start razzle-dazzling them beginning April 12 and will play an eight-week limited engagement at the Ambassador Theatre through June 5.
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“I have always been a huge fan of Bob Fosse’s and Gwen Verdon’s work. Ann Reinking, too,” Anderson said. “Playing Roxie Hart is a dream fulfilled. Performing Fosse, you don’t have time to get in your head. You can’t dance, sing and think at the same time. There is a freedom, a unique joy in knowing it’s all about the work. Playing Roxie Hart is a sweet escape for me.”
The casting comes as Anderson’s life is serving as fodder for the Hulu series “Pam & Tommy.” The show, which documents the release of her and ex-husband Tommy Lee’s stolen sex tape, stars Sebastian Stan and Lily James. Anderson has no involvement and has said she has no plans to watch the series. Instead, she’ll set the record straight in an upcoming documentary that’s been set up at Netflix.
In addition to “Baywatch,” Anderson was a famous Playboy centerfold and played Lisa, the Tool Time Girl, on ABC’s hit sitcom “Home Improvement.” After “Baywatch,” Anderson went on to produce her own television series, “V.I.P.,” and starred in the so-bad-it’s-kinda-good “Barb Wire.”
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