Pamela Anderson is coming to Broadway! The 54-year-old actress will make her theater debut as 1920s seductress Roxie Hart in the popular musical Chicago, according to the Associated Press. Pam will be on the stage at the Ambassador Theatre in New York from April 12 to June 5.
“From ‘Baywatch’ to Broadway. I am inspired by the unexpected,” Pamela said in a statement to the AP. “This is it, and I will not hold back anymore. I am letting go. I am ready to see what I’m capable of. For ‘Chicago,’ I’ll be putting all my cards on the table. I am doubling down — on me,” she added.
A source closed to Pam EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife, “Pamela is getting ready to make her move to NYC to join Chicago as she is on Cloud 9 about being cast as Roxie Hart. She’s been telling her friends that this is a turning point for her and everyone is extremely proud of her for taking this leap of faith. She has been wanting to play this role for many years and feels that she is meant to do this. Pamela’s eagerness into this character is making her take this role very seriously. Being Broadway shows often start rehearsals 4 to 6 weeks before the actual show starts, she is getting her things in order now, finding a perfect placese to live and she will throw herself into this part full force. She is a great dancer. She is working on her vocal performance for this role, and she is looking to work with a vocal coach to get her fully ready. Pamela is ready for the world to see just how truly talented she is, and she knows that this is her chance to show everyone this new side of her.”
Chicago started as a play in 1926 and inspired the Broadway musical that kicked off in 1975. The main character, Roxie, is a housewife who hires a slick criminal lawyer after she murders her lover. Roxie has been played by various celebrities in different iterations of Chicago over the years. Those stars include Erika Jayne, Lisa Rinna, Brooke Shields, Melanie Griffith, Christie Brinkley, Brandy Norwood, and Renee Zellweger.
It’s exciting to see that Pam’s taking her talents to Broadway. She’s best known for her TV roles in Baywatch, Home Improvement, and V.I.P, plus the films Raw Justice, Barb Wire, and Superhero Movie. Her life has been thrusted into the spotlight recently thanks to Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, the series centered on her and her ex-husband Tommy Lee‘s sex tape scandal, which erupted in 1995. The show stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan.
Pam was not involved with Pam & Tommy. She is, however, working with Netflix on an upcoming documentary about her life. The streaming service announced the doc via Twitter on March 2. “The film, which has been in the making for several years, will feature the pop culture icon setting the record straight as she looks back on her professional path and her personal journey,” Netflix said.