CASTING UPDATE: DAN BURTON AND DARREN DAY TO STAR AS ‘BILLY FLYNN’, and SINITTA TO STAR AS ‘MAMA MORTON’ IN THE UK AND IRELAND TOUR OF THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING CHICAGO

David Ian for Crossroads Live in association with Barry and Fran Weissler are delighted to announce that West End leading man Dan Burton and West End and TV star Darren Day will return to share the role of Billy Flynn, alongside international recording artist and pop star Sinitta as Mama Morton, in the UK and Ireland tour of CHICAGO.

CHICAGO, will come to Lowry, Salford from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 August 2025. Darren Day will play Billy Flynn and Brenda Edwards will continue to perform as Mama Morton in Salford. 

The role of Roxie Hart will be played by former Strictly Come Dancing professional and TV Presenter Janette Manrara.

Darren Day previously returned to the role of Billy Flynn in November 2024, having been part of the 2021 UK and Ireland and Dubai tour of Chicago. His many West End credits include the title role in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium, Tony Parker in Copacabana at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Danny Zuko in Grease at the Cambridge Theatre, and Michael Witney in the world première of Close-Up - The Twiggy Musical at the Menier Chocolate Factory. His UK touring theatre credits include the roles of Hugo/Loco Chanel in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Rev. Shaw Moore in Footloose, Kashoggi in We Will Rock You, Frank n Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, Tick in Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical and Don in Summer Holiday. Darren’s numerous TV credits include Danny Houston in Hollyoaks, David Wilde in Doctors and Will Morgan in Stella. He was a contestant on the very first series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and a finalist on Celebrity Big Brother.

Brenda Edwards gained public acclaim as a semi-finalist on The X Factor before turning her attention to the stage, making her West End debut as Mama Morton in CHICAGO, a role she recently reprised for the 2021/2022 UK and Ireland tour. Her additional theatre credits include Motormouth Maybelle in the UK tour of Hairspray, Nettie Fowler in Carousel at the London Coliseum, Killer Queen in We Will Rock You both the West End and original UK Tour and Pearl Pastor in Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall. Brenda is also a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women as well as presenting BBC1’s Songs of Praise.

Janette Manrara is best known for having been on Strictly Come Dancing, reaching the finals with HRVY, as well as co-hosting BBC2’s It Takes Two and hosting the Strictly Live tour across the UK. Her previous theatre credits include the Broadway and international tour of Burn the Floor, as well as UK touring productions A Christmas To Remember, Remembering Fred, Remembering the Movies and a streamed version of Remembering the Oscars, all with her husband Aljaž Škorjanec. Janette is also an author, having released her debut book, ‘Tiny Dancer, Big World’.

They join West End leading lady Djalenga Scott as Velma Kelly, alongside Joshua Lloyd as Amos Hart and Jordan Lee Davies as Mary Sunshine. 

The cast is completed by Bethany Adamson, Victoria Anderson, Josh Crowther, Joe Dale, Jessica Keable, Robin Kent, Annabelle Laing, Jacob McLay Reid, Jonathan Milton, George Olney, Oliver Ramsdale, Elly Shaw, Lucy Anne Stacey, Matthew Sweet and Ria Tanaka.          

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today's tabloids. 

Created by the musical theatre talents of John Kander, Fred Ebb and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse, CHICAGO’s sexy, sassy score includes the show-stopping songs “Razzle Dazzle”, “Cell Block Tango”, and “All That Jazz”.  Winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, CHICAGO is the longest running American musical in Broadway and West End history.

Since it opened in New York in 1996, CHICAGO has played in 38 countries worldwide, and been performed in English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, French, Danish, Japanese and Korean.  Worldwide it has been seen by an estimated 34 million people, grossed over $1.7 billion has played over 35,000 performances.

CHICAGO, which is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.  The current 1996 Broadway revival of CHICAGO is choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse, directed by Walter Bobbie, and produced by Barry and Fran Weissler.

CHICAGO comes to Lowry, Salford from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 August 2025. For more information and tickets visit www.thelowry.com.