In his Broadway debut, Sebastián Yatra delivers a solid vocal performance and demonstrates an enjoyable stage presence as the charming, corrupt lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago. Here, he is not the same singer of Latin pop chart-topping hits; he is a conscious cast member committed to the requirements of this type of show.
The Colombian star began his four-week engagement in the long-running musical on Monday (Nov. 25), where he shares leading roles with Broadway veterans Bianca Marroquín and Kimberly Marable, who play Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, respectively.
The singer-songwriter, known for No. 1 hits on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart like “Tacones Rojos,” “Un Año” (with Reik) and “Robarte un Beso” (with Carlos Vives), makes the leap to the theater mecca two years after making his acting debut in the miniseries Once Upon a Time… Happily Never After.
Although at 30 he is younger (and sweeter) than other actors who have played Billy Flynn — Jerry Orbach was 40 in the original 1975 production, and Richard Gere was 52 in the 2002 film adaptation — on Tuesday (Nov. 26 ), in only his second performance, Yatra shone, showing new vocal registers and singing classics like “Razzle Dazzle” and “We Both Reached for the Gun” in English. While dancing is not considered his forte, he followed the choreography without issue and stood out with his bearing and likability.
“Everyone in Chicago is excited and proud of him,” Marroquín, who shares several scenes with Yatra in the performance, told Billboard Español on Tuesday as she left the theater. “He has done an exceptional job. He arrived super disciplined with everything memorized, very committed, very responsible, and on top of that he is a sweetheart. Being backstage with him is divine. He is a very beautiful soul. So I love having that connection because, besides, Roxie and Billy have a lot to do with each other in the show. We have created a beautiful friendship, a bond, a very nice chemistry.”
Set in the 1920s, Chicago —the longest-running American musical on Broadway after almost three decades— is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals. With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Ebb, it includes killer songs like “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango” and “Mr. Cellophane.”
With Yatra, the role of Billy Flynn now receives some Latin and contemporary flavor. “Latinos have something special even when we are speaking English, there is a lot of love within us, a lot of passion,” Yatra told Billboard Español in September, upon the announcement of his Broadway debut. “I think I can offer a perspective from someone who is living in 2024 at almost 30, how he sees that world, also knowing that I could have perfectly been a lawyer and could be that person standing there. Thank God Billy and I don’t share the same values, because that would be messed up!” he added with a laugh.
Over the years, Chicago has invited various Latin stars to join the musical for brief runs. Yatra joins a list that includes Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, who in 2009 played Matron “Mama” Morton, and Mexican singer and actor Jaime Camil, who in 2016 portrayed Billy Flynn.
Chicago is presented at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.) For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Broadway musical’s site.
