PAUL RIDER will play 'Amos Hart' in CHICACO from 8th Oct 01

PAUL RIDER will play 'Amos Hart' in CHICACO from 8th Oct 01.

Paul Rider will play 'Amos Hart' in the musical Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre for three months from Monday 8th Oct 01. (Barry James, currently playing 'Amos Hart', leaves the London production on 6th October at the completion of his contract.)

Paul Rider recently played 'Flute' in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which starred Dawn French, at the Albery Theatre and 'Frederick Bentley' in Mike Leigh's film "Topsy Turvey". His television credits include "Bare Necessities", "Murder Most Horrid", "Drop The Dead Donkey", "Heartbeat", "Dinner Ladies" and "City Central".

Chicago continues to feature Anita Louise Combeas 'Roxie Hart', Leigh Zimmerman as 'Velma Kelly', Michael Simkins as 'Billy Flynn' and Alison Moyet as 'Mama Morton'.

The show, 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. Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting by Ken Billington and sound by Rick Clarke. Musical supervision is by Rob Fisher and musical direction by Robert Purvis. It is choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse and directed by Walter Bobbie.

The West End production of Chicago is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team. It opened in London on 18th Nov 1997 to rave reviews and immediately became a sell-out hit. It has won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for 'Outstanding Musical Production' as well as the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for 'Best Musical'. "CHICAGO" is currently playing in New York, Buenos Aires and across the United States, and will open in Mexico and Dusseldorf this autumn.

The first national UK tour of "CHICAGO", starring Jane Fowler as 'Roxie Hart', Amra-Faye Wright as 'Velma Kelly' and John Altman as 'Billy Flynn', has just opened in Manchester.