Ashley Graham Reveals What Her Son Thinks of Her Broadway Debut (Exclusive)

Ashley Graham’s son knows his mom is appearing on Broadway — but he might not be certain as to which show she’s in.

The model, 37, spoke with PEOPLE ahead of her Broadway debut in Chicago at the newly opened Planet Hollywood in New York City and shared that her three sons — Isaac, 5, and twins Malachi and Roman, 3 — are not planning on coming to the theatre to see their mom onstage. However, Graham’s older son, Isaac, does seem to understand that his mom is doing something special.

“The weird thing is, the other day I FaceTimed him and I was like, ‘Hey, Mommy’s at work,’ ” Graham tells PEOPLE. “He goes, ‘Oh, you busy being Roxie [Hart]?’ I was like, ‘What?'”

“So clearly his ears are open and he’s listening. And when I first told him I’m going on Broadway, he goes, ‘Oh, like Michael Jackson, like when you took me to see Michael Jackson,’ ” she says of the show MJ on Broadway. “And I was like, ‘Exactly.’ So I’m getting compared to Michael Jackson and I’m not mad at it.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The proud mom goes on to say that she might let her son come for a few nights just so that he can see her in action.

“I might bring him to the finale one night or one afternoon, like one of the matinees, just so that he understands that part,” Graham says. “I feel like around 5,6,7, it’s like when you start to have those memories that never go away.”

However, she intends to put her foot down on letting her son see the beginning of the play.

“Oh God, especially the beginning,” she says of Chicago. “The beginning is the worst part for kids.”

Graham shares her three kids with husband Justin Ervin.

In a March 13 post on Instagram, Graham announced that she would be taking over the iconic role of Roxie Hart in the stage production of Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City.

“I’m so excited I can finally freaking tell you this,” she said. “I’m shaking. I can’t even literally actually describe my feeling right now because I finally get to tell you. I’m just so nervous and excited and obviously very emotional. But this is something I’ve been prepping for.”

The mother of three also shared some clips of herself in dance training, practicing some of the choreography that she will bring to the stage.

Graham will make her debut in the role on April 15, and will perform as Roxie through May 25.