By Alison Broverman

Road from boy band to musical is well-travelled

What is it about boy bands and Broadway musicals? Former boy-banders have been trying to make good in the legitimate thee-ay-ter for a long time now: Erstwhile li’lest New Kid Joey MacIntyre did a stint in Wicked two years ago, ex-Monkee Mickey Dolenz is currently appearing in Pippin here in Toronto at the Royal Alex and, this week, hordes of screaming teenyboppers will swarm the Princess of Wales Theatre to let former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson razzle dazzle ‘em in the touring production of Chicago, opening Tuesday.

(In the 10 years since its Broadway opening, Chicago has been particularly notorious for its unlikely cast members, who have included Trading Spaces’ Paige Davis; Patrick Swayze; and, most recently in London’s West End, Ashlee Simpson.)

Chicago has been a favourite with Toronto audiences for a long time, and not just because the 2002 film version was filmed here.

The touring company first graced the stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre in 1998, and has returned several times since then. (With its minimal set and technical requirements, it’s also a favourite with producers.)

Set in 1920s Chicago, where you’re only worth as much as your headline in the newspaper, it tells the story of two murderously fame-hungry divas, and the media-savvy lawyer who gets them off.

Richardson reprises his role as slick attorney Billy Flynn, who he played for two months on Broadway in 2002, and then again in London the following year.

Though this gig is certainly a departure from the bubblegum boy-band groove Richardson is known for, he is no stranger to musical theatre: He has loved it since his high school drama teacher cast him in the school production of Bye Bye Birdie (appropriately enough, he played Conrad Birdie, the pop star whose very name makes girls swoon).

The soft-spoken singer is delighted to be back in the theatre. “It’s a totally different kind of fulfillment, playing a character,” he says earnestly in his gentle Kentucky drawl. “It’s a lot of fun.”

t’s certainly a change of pace from his days as a Backstreet Boy, but Richardson is hoping to bring his BSB fan base along for the ride. “It’s good for people to see me do something different,” he says. “Any opportunity I get to grow and learn as an artist and a performer, I welcome that with open arms. And if I can turn a few kids on to theatre along the way, that’s great too.”

Source: National Post