‘Chicago’ opens national tour at BJCC featuring Alabama actor Drew Fillinger

The longest-running American musical in Broadway history, Chicago, is beginning a national tour in Birmingham this week and among those on stage at the BJCC Concert Hall will be an Alabama-born performer.

25-year-old Drew Fillinger hails from Cullman, Alabama and will make his national touring debut at the very same venue where he remembers seeing his first live musical as a child.

“I’d grown up singing but I didn’t quite know how I wanted to use that talent. Then my parents brought me to see Wicked at the BJCC and it all just kind of clicked. I knew from that moment that I wanted to do musical theater.”

Drew Fillinger

Fillinger got involved in musical theater at Cullman High School and continued on that path at Samford University in Birmingham before moving to Atlanta to begin his career in regional theater productions. In January of 2024, Fillinger moved to New York and booked a spot in the national touring cast of Chicago. Now, he gets to start his first tour right back in the same concert hall at the BJCC where his love for musical theater was first ignited.

I don’t think I can put into words how blessed I feel to be able to open my first national tour here. I think I might have 500 people coming to see me while we are here.

I remember exactly how I felt watching Wicked in the BJCC Concert Hall and how instrumental that was in my life and I know that’s going to happen for kids who are in the audience seeing this show. It blows my mind.

Drew Fillinger

One of the most successful shows in Broadway history, Chicago is set in the 1920s and follows two women accused of murder – Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart—who become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy. The cast features numerous shady figures including Fillinger’s character, though his role in the show is a surprise for the audience to discover.

It’s obviously a really fun role in a fun a show but I think there’s some really valuable satire there too. What do we value in society? Do we value honesty and kindness and integrity, or do we value sensation, talent, and a good story?

Drew Fillinger

Chicago runs through Sunday, November 24th at the BJCC Concert Hall. Tickets are available for purchase at BroadwayInBirmingham.com, BJCC.org and Ticketmaster.com.

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