Alex Newell and Kate Baldwin Join Broadway’s ‘Chicago’ (Exclusive)

Broadway’s Chicago has some killer casting on the horizon.

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that Tony Award winner Alex Newell is joining the record-breaking Broadway hit this fall, alongside two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin.

Newell, who made history with their Tony-winning turn in Shucked, will step into the role of Matron “Mama” Morton beginning Monday, Nov. 17, while Baldwin will take over as Roxie Hart a week earlier, on Monday, Nov. 10.

Now celebrating its 29th anniversary, Chicago remains Broadway’s longest-running American musical.

In performances at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City, the musical follows killers Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two murderesses who use their criminal notoriety to find fame in the Vaudeville circuit.

The musical’s score, by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, features some of the most beloved songs in musical theater history, including “All That Jazz,” “The Cell-Block Tango,” “When You’re Good to Momma,” “Roxie,” and “Razzle Dazzle.” Ebb and Bob Fosse penned the book.

Chicago originally premiered in 1975 with legendary leading ladies Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera playing Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, respectively. The 1996 revival, directed by Walter Bobbie and first starring Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth, won six Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical.

An all-star film adaptation was released in 2002 with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger in the lead roles, alongside a superstar cast including Richard Gere, Taye Diggs, Christine Baranski and Queen Latifah as Mama Morton. The movie went on to win six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Zeta-Jones.

Newell’s Broadway credits also include Once On This Island, for which they earned a Grammy nomination and a Drama Desk Award. The gender nonconforming and nonbinary actor, who uses all pronouns, first shot to fame on The Glee Project and later Glee, where they played powerhouse vocalist Unique Adams.

Baldwin, a two-time Tony nominee for Hello, Dolly! and Finian’s Rainbow, has a lengthy stage résumé including Big Fish, The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town. On television, she’s appeared in Law & Order: SVU, The Gilded Age and Just Beyond.

Tickets for Chicago are now on sale.