Ariana Madix Makes Razzle-Dazzling Debut in Broadway's Chicago with Support from Vanderpump Rules Costars

The reality personality will tread the boards in New York until March 24

Ariana Madix is ​​officially a Broadway baby!

The Vanderpump Rules star, 38, made her Great White Way debut on Monday night, playing Roxie Hart in the Tony-busting revival of Kander & Ebb’s Chicago.

PEOPLE was at the Ambassador Theater in New York for the show, which was attended by a packed crowd of Bravo fans and Bravo stars. Among those in the audience were Madix’s co-stars Lala Kent and Scheana Shay. People’s sofa Alum Emerson Collins was also spotted in the audience.

Madix’s mother, Tanya, was also on hand to cheer her daughter on. She sat next to Daniel Wai, Madix’s boyfriend (the two began dating shortly after her March 2023 split with ex Tom Sandoval made headlines).

Everything was shining for Dancing with the stars finalist, who delivered a killer performance with the poise and skill of a Broadway veteran. She received a standing ovation until the curtain came down and beamed at the crowd as she took a bow.

Ariana Madix Razzle dazzles as Roxie Hart in first footage of Broadway’s rehearsals Chicago (Exclusive)

Monday closed the circle on the goal that Madix has been working on for a long time.

Before she found fame on reality TV, she studied musical theater at Flagler College in St. Louis. Augustine, Florida, to move to New York City after graduation with hopes of landing a role in a Broadway play.

To pay the bills during grueling auditions, Madix learned to bartend and continued to perform when she decided to move to Los Angeles to build her Hollywood resume. There she got a job at the SUR bar [“Sexy Unique Restaurant”]which will become the setting for Lisa Vanderpump The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills spinoff, Vanderpump Rules.

A decade of drama at Bravo and one “Scandoval” later, Madix now finds herself right back where she started – this time with the Broadway deal she once craved.

“To say this is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream would be an understatement,” she told PEOPLE during Chicago press call earlier this month at the 48 Lounge in New York. “This is literally everything to me. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. And to be here now, to have this come full circle … I feel beyond grateful.”

Ariana Madix.

Bruce Glikas/WireImage

That doesn’t mean he’s resting on his laurels. Madix knows the discipline it takes to do this job and goes to great lengths to ensure audiences see every bit of talent she has to offer.

“I’m very aware of what got me here, but I don’t want that to be what people think about when they walk out of the theater,” Madix says, hinting that this isn’t just a stunt setup like it might have been for others in the past. “As cool as it is, it is very Hamilton for me: I can’t throw away my injection. When I go out there, I really want people to say, ‘She belongs here.’ I don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, she got the part because of anything and nothing else.’ ”

She added: “I’m here to prove to people that I deserve my chance.”

Chicago was a flop when the original 1975 production premiered, despite the star power of legendary leading ladies Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera.

The story of two murderous women who use their criminal notoriety to gain fame on the vaudeville circuit was considered too dark at the time, but gained new acclaim when it was revived in 1996, this time with Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth.

It won six Tony Awards, including Best Revival, and is the longest-running American Broadway musical in history.

Originally choreographed by the great Bob Fosse, his former love and longtime muse Reinking recreated his movements for this production. The score—with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb—remains the same and includes some of the most beloved songs in the musical theater charts such as “All That Jazz,” “The Cell-Block Tango,” “When You’re Bravo for Mom” and “ Razzle Dazzle.”

The film was shot in 2002 with Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the lead roles. It won several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Zeta-Jones.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger in ‘Chicago’. Mary Evans/MIRAMAX/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection

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Madix follows in the footsteps of an impressive array of Bravo stars who have taken turns on the show, including RHOBH stars Erika Girardi and Lisa Rinna, as well as The Real Housewives of Atlanta starring Kandi Burruss and NeNe Leakes.

Reflecting on what it would feel like to be at the premiere, Madix told PEOPLE earlier this month that she imagines that’s when her dream will finally become a reality.

“It’s going to be a really emotional feeling,” she said. “I think that’s when it will really hit me. Because right now I’m staying focused on learning the role as best I can. But that will be the moment when I realize I can do it. Because I did. I finally did it.”

Tickets for Chicago are on sale now at chicagothemusical.com.

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Source: HIS Education