Ariana Madix celebrates joining the cast ofChicagoon Broadway at 48 Lounge in New York City on Jan. 9, 2024.Photo:Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
PEOPLE can exclusively debut footage of theVanderpump Rulesstar, 38, in action as she rehearses one of the beloved musical’s trickiest numbers, “The Hot Honey Rag,” ahead of her limited run as Roxie Hart from Jan. 29 to March 24.
It’s a song that comes at the end of the show, when Roxie and rival Velma Kelly come together for a delicious dance duet to celebrate their murderous merry. It’s a number that has made its way into the Broadway history books as one of the most recognizable dances of all time.
Since then, countless stars have had their turn at the dance, meant to mimic the competitive and electric friendship between Roxie and Velma. Each move is performed in tandem, yet just different enough so that audiences can’t keep looking away to see if they can stay in sync.
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Madix — who proved to have a penchant for picking up choreography during her run onDancing with the Stars,where she was a finalist — appears to have already mastered the moves in her short time rehearsing. In the footage, she dances alongside actress Kristen Faith Oei with ease, looking like a well-seasoned Broadway professional.
To pay the bills during the gruesome grind of auditions, Madix learned to bartend, and kept the gig up when she decided to move to Los Angeles to try her hand at Hollywood. There, she got a job ata bar called SUR[“Sexy Unique Restaurant”], which would become the setting ofLisa Vanderpump’sReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsspinoff,Vanderpump Rules.
A decade of drama onBravoand one “Scandaoval” later, Madix now finds herself right back where she started — though this time, with the Broadway contract she once coveted.
“To say this is a fulfillment of a lifelong dream would be an understatement,” she tells PEOPLE, during aChicagopress call earlier this month at 48 Lounge in New York City. “This is quite literally everything to me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. And to be here now, having this full-circle moment … I feel so beyond grateful.”
Ariana Madix celebrates joining the cast ofChicagoon Broadway at 48 Lounge in New York City on Jan. 9, 2024.Bruce Glikas/WireImage
That doesn’t mean she’s resting on her laurels. Madix knows the discipline it takes to do this job, and is putting in the work to make sure audience members see every ounce of talent she has to offer.
“I’m keenly aware what brought me here, but I don’t want that to be what people think about when they leave the theater,” Madix says, hinting that this isn’t just a stunt casting like it might have been for others in the past. “As cool as it is, it’s veryHamiltonfor me: I cannot throw away my shot. When I go out there, I really want people to say, ‘She belongs here.’ I don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, she got cast because of whatever and nothing else.’ "
“I’m here to prove to people that I deserve my opportunity,” she adds.
Roxie couldn’t be a more a fitting role for Madix, with both rising to new levels of fame after the end of a headline-making relationship (in Roxie’s case, killing her lover when he tries to walk out on her; in Madix’s case, when she made the life-rocking discovery thatTom Sandoval— herboyfriend of nine years— had been carrying on amonths-long affairwith her friend and castmateRachel “Raquel” Leviss).
But that’s not the part of her character’s story that Madix herself relates to.
Madix also understands a message Roxie has not yet learned: that fame can’t be the motivator. “As nice as it can be, that’s not the goal,” she tells PEOPLE. “Ultimately, I want to be able to work. When I agreed to doVanderpump, all I hoped was that it would help get me more work, not fame.”
Chicagois Broadway’s longest-running American musical in history, and was the basis for a 2002 film starringRenée ZellwegerandCatherine Zeta-Jonesthat won severalAcademy Awards, including Best Picture ad Best Supporting Actress for Zeta-Jones, 54, who played Velma.
Madix will follow in the footsteps of an impressive line of Bravo stars who have taken their turns in the show. Others includeRHOBHstarsErika GirardiandLisa Rinna, as well asReal Housewives of AtlantastarsKandi BurrusandNeNe Leakes.
Tickets forChicagoare on sale now atchicagothemusical.com.
source: people.com
