Who says that Broadway and the NFL can’t intersect?
Musical theater and football lovers alike can enjoy a leading man of a different stripe when NFL legend and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George makes his Broadway touring debut in the role of Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago.
George will play the role at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron May 9 and 10.
His tour debut follows his successful limited engagement as Billy Flynn on Broadway last year at the Ambassador Theatre. Akron show tickets are on sale now at broadwayinakron.com or 330-253-2488.
George previously appeared in Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man at the Nashville Repertory Theatre, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog at Amun Ra Theatre and in the title roles of both Othello and Julius Caesar at the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. His theater work has come following his football career as well as work providing commentary and analysis for the Tennessee Titans and Fox’s college football coverage.
George also has worked in TV and film. He founded the Nashville-based theatrical troupe Actors By George in 2012.
George, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 while playing for Ohio State University, played nine years in the NFL, leading the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. He finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys.
Chicago, with a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Ebb, is the No. 1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history. It is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.
The national tour is directed by David Hyslop and choreographed by David Bushman. The 1920s story tells of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her lover and brings about a media circus.
Light for inclusion
The community is invited to join New World Performance Lab at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays as it takes part in the Ghostlight Project as a sign of solidarity that the theater is a place where all are welcome.
NWPL is joining more than 500 theaters in 50 states and the District of Columbia that will gather across the country to light a light and make a pledge to protect values of inclusion, participation and compassion for everyone, regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, ability, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Members of the theater community from Broadway to high school will meet at 5:30 p.m. in each time zone to light a light and make the pledge. The event is inspired by the theatrical tradition of keeping a “ghost light” on in a darkened theater, with organizers creating a symbolic light for challenging times ahead.
“From its beginnings, NWPL has set out to create art which honors cultural diversity. Artists and audience members are welcomed to our space, regardless, and in celebration of their differences. Our country now faces a period of uncertainty, during which the values of inclusion will be challenged. This Thursday, NWPL will renew our commitment to social action,” NWPL said in a statement.
Participants are asked to come to Balch Street Theatre, 220 S. Balch St., Akron, at 5 p.m. for the 5:30 p.m. start. Bring a light source such as a flashlight or cell phone. Musical instruments are welcome. For more NWPL information, see www.nwplab.com or see the theater on Facebook.
For further information, see www.theghostlightproject.com or check out hashtags #GhostlightProject #BeALight #AllAreWelcome .
Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kclawsonabj or follow her on Twitter @KerryClawsonABJ .