Fil-Am Red Concepcion joins Broadway’s ‘Chicago’

NEW YORK — Filipino American Red Concepcion has joined the cast of “Chicago The Musical” on Broadway, playing the role of Amos Hart.

“Surreal,” says Concepcion of his first performance with the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical that is currently considered the longest-running show on Broadway.

“I felt like I just couldn’t believe that I was there. But the audience reacted so warmly and so enthusiastically to what we all were doing. It was just magical,” he says after only having 10 days to learn and rehearse his role for the show.

The musical is set in Chicago during the roaring jazz-hot 1920s, with two vaudevillians locked up in jail — nightclub star Velma Kelly for killing her husband and sister after finding them in bed together and Chorus girl Roxie Hart for bumping off the lover with whom she’s been cheating on her husband Amos.

Filipino American Red Concepcion joins “Chicago The Musical” on Broadway as Amos Hart. Image: Red Concepcion/Facebook

Roxie realizes that in order to avoid the gallows, she needs to enlist slickster lawyer Billy Flynn to turn her incarceration into a media frenzy. Amos stays loyal to Roxie even though he gets caught in the fray.

Music is by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The musical is also known for its distinctive choreography by Fosse, its original director and choreographer.

Big win for Asian representation

Concepcion is the first Filipino to play the role of Hart on Broadway, according to Lora Nicolas Olaes, who was a co-producer of “Here Lies Love,” a pop musical about Imelda Marcos which recently ran on Broadway, and creative producer of La Ti Do-NYC.

“I’m so immensely proud of him. His casting is a big win for Asian representation. On the Broadway stage, only about 6.3 percent of available roles go to Asian American Pacific Islander performers, based on a study conducted between 2018-2019,” she said.

Concepcion adds, “Honestly, I haven’t processed my feelings yet about debuting on Broadway and I don’t think I’ll be able to until the end of my run so ask me again then!”

An amazing Christmas gift

Concepcion previously played The Engineer in the most recent touring production of “Miss Saigon” in the US. Prior to that, he had played the same role for the show’s UK and Ireland tours.

Filipino American Red Concepcion (right), who plays Amos Hart in “Chicago,” having some downtime backstage. CONTRIBUTED

Before moving to the US, Concepcion’s credits in Manila included lead roles in “Equus” (as Alan Strang) and “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (as Adam/Felicia).

He found out he got the Amos Hart role from his agent a few days before Christmas. “It was an amazing Christmas gift! I didn’t tell anyone until maybe a week after, because it just felt so unbelievable! I kept thinking ‘There’s no way this could be happening!’” he tells Inquirer.net USA.

“So I didn’t tell anyone until I had convinced myself it was a sure thing. I did allow myself a good meal after receiving the call to celebrate.”

Allowed to play

Concepcion had seen the 2002 film adaptation with Renée Zellweger (Roxie Hart), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma Kelly), Richard Gere (Billy Flynn) and John C. Reilly as Amos Hart.

“It’s incredible. I also saw the Australian touring production when it toured Manila several years back,” he says.

“The creative team was actually very encouraging of us to bring our own take on the character, which made for a fantastic rehearsal process because you’re allowed to play!

“I think my Amos turned out to be a very earnestly sweet person. He’s somehow able to convince himself that everything is going to turn out alright no matter how many times he’s been proven wrong.”

Visit chicagothemusical.com.