Ana Villafañe Described ‘Influencer Culture’ While Paying Homage To Late Ann Reinking As Roxie Hart
When ‘Chicago’ resumed its doors on Broadway, a brand-new Roxie Hart came to life, thanks to Ana Villafañe. The actress spoke to HL about going back to the stage in the iconic function.
Gwen Verdon, Ann Reinking, Reneé Zellweger, Brooke Shields, Christie Brinkley, and now, Ana Villafañe. There have actually been lots of representations of Roxie Hart in Chicago, both on movie and on phase, throughout the years. Now, after an 18 month shutdown, the longest Broadway has ever endured, the 1975 hit musical Chicago is back, with a new Roxie who is demanding all of our attention, and rightly so. Ana Villafañe, best known for her function as Gloria Estefan in the 2015 Broadway musical On Your Feet!, now fills the Burju dance shoes and renowned blonde wig, delivering the razzle dazzle in the Ambassador Theater night after night.
“I got this telephone call, to resume Broadway in a renowned musical in this legendary function, and I resembled, ‘Well, that’s a no brainer!'” Ana informed HollywoodLife.com in an EXCLUSIVE interview. “They gave me the alternative between Velma and Roxie, and it took me a second, but I called three people– my sis, my director from On Your Feet! Jerry Mitchell, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I resembled, ‘What do I do?’ And they all unanimously selected Roxie, and my gut stated Roxie, however I didn’t comprehend why aside from this fascination I had with the trajectory and the journey she goes on mentally.”
“Roxie’s story truly advises me of influencer culture and instant popularity, and the access to branding yourself, which all of us now comprehend. As quickly as you increase is as rapidly as you can fall,” Ana discussed. “This story is actually, really, extremely pertinent today. Media has ended up being so sensationalized and you can truly manipulate anybody into believing anything, so it was truly intriguing for me, as an actor, to hold a mirror up to society and resemble, ‘Take a look at what we are. Look at what we have always been,’ and that’s the axiom.”
In addition to relating Roxie’s story to contemporary society, Ana wished to be sure she honored the late Ann Reinking, who played Roxie while also choreographing the 1996 revival of Chicago. “I was really ecstatic because Greg Butler was flown out from LA to teach the four new cast members the entire program, and we had the difficulty of discovering it within 3 weeks … a few days in, I asked Greg, privately, ‘Teach me Annie’s program,'” she remembered. “I understand I am not half the dancer she was, however I wish to honor her in my Roxie– to at least be doing her program. And they did. And so I’m really, really grateful for that.”
Ana continues to shine as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway– get your tickets now!
Released at Thu, 04 Nov 2021 11:19:03 -0500
