There are some things that simply do not need fixing, and Chicago’s Cell Block Tango is absolutely one of them. But give Broadway a handful of ridiculously talented men, add a little gender-bending theatrical chaos, and suddenly we are very interested in seeing what happens.
A throwback video from MCC Theater’s 2015 Miscast gala has resurfaced, and frankly, it is everything Broadway fans could want from a performance of Cell Block Tango.
The lineup alone is enough to make you sit up: Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Henry, Jeremy Jordan, Ben Platt, Walter Bobbie, and Chris Fitzgerald.
Yes, that lineup.
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Six Merry Murderers, One Very Gay Twist
Cell Block Tango is one of the most recognizable numbers from the 1975 musical Chicago, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The song famously gives the musical’s “Six Merry Murderesses” the chance to explain, with plenty of attitude, exactly how they ended up behind bars.
For Miscast 2015, the Broadway boys stepped into those roles, delivering a gender-flipped version of the number that leaned heavily into the original’s deliciously dramatic energy.
And they absolutely understood the assignment.
The annual Miscast gala is built around performers taking on songs and characters they would not traditionally be cast as, making it the perfect excuse for Broadway’s biggest stars to play against type. In this case, that meant watching six men channel the murderous women of Chicago with all the sass, theatricality, and exaggerated confidence the number demands.
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And Yes, It Still Holds Up
What makes the performance particularly fun is that nobody seems remotely interested in playing it safe.
The group throws themselves into the choreography and character work, creating the kind of gloriously campy Broadway moment that makes you wonder why this particular version was not turned into an entire production.
There is also something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing these performers together in 2015. Some were already major Broadway names, while others would go on to become even bigger stars.
And then there is Walter Bobbie, the original co-creator and director of the 1996 Broadway revival of Chicago, bringing an extra layer of Broadway history to the lineup.
Consider the Cell Block Reopened
Nearly a decade later, this Tango throwback feels like the kind of Broadway gift the internet was made for.
It is theatrical, shamelessly camp, ridiculously talented, and just the right amount of naughty.
Honestly, if this is what happens when Broadway’s boys get locked up together, perhaps we should be checking the booking schedule.