First-Ever Transgender Performer Stars on Broadway — Angelica Ross Takes Lead Role in ‘Chicago’

Angelica Ross during a photocall for her Broadway debut as "Roxie Hart" in the hit musical
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

The first-ever transgender performer to star on Broadway took the stage on Monday evening in the long-running musical Chicago revival, cast in the lead role of Roxie Hart.

Angelica Ross — who was born male but identifies as a woman, and has appeared in FX’s Pose and American Horror Story — made his debut as Roxie Hart on Monday and is set to perform for an eight-week engagement at the Ambassador Theatre in New York.

Incidentally, the transgender performer and co-star Amra-Faye Wright stood on the stage at the show’s end and told the audience that their performances come as many people question the future of United States and what this country stands for, according to a report by Axios.

Monday night marks the first time the musical has cast a transgender performer as Roxie Hart, a female character that has been played by a long list of prominent actresses including Ann Reinking, Charlotte d’Amboise, Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson, Brooke Shields, and even Pamela Anderson.

Ross is the latest man to erase women’s presence in roles they have traditionally held.

Last year, Kataluna Enriquez, a male who identifies as a woman, won the title of Miss Nevada USA and went on to become the first ever transgender Miss USA contestant.

Transgender models Valentina Sampaio and Leyna Bloom have both appeared in Sports Illustrated‘s annual Swimsuit Issue. Now, Celebrity Big Brother star and transgender model Jessica Alves is vying to be on the cover of Playboy magazine following a Brazilian butt lift surgery.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.

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