Principal Characters
Source for West End:overthefootlights.co.uk
| Character | Description | Original Broadway performer | Original West End performer | Original Broadway revival performer | Original West End revival performer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velma Kelly | A vaudevillian and murderess who is on trial for killing her cheating husband and sister. She is represented by Billy Flynn and competes with Roxie Hart over him. | Chita Rivera | Jenny Logan | Bebe Neuwirth | Ute Lemper |
| Roxanne "Roxie" Hart | A wannabe vaudevillian and murderess who kills her ex-boyfriend after a spat and is sent to jail. | Gwen Verdon | Antonia Ellis | Ann Reinking | Ruthie Henshall |
| William "Billy" Flynn | Velma and Roxie's lawyer who has a perfect track record and makes celebrities of his clients to win sympathy and sway public opinion. | Jerry Orbach | Ben Cross | James Naughton | Henry Goodman |
| Amos Hart | Roxie's faithful and good-natured but simple husband whom nobody pays attention to. He spends most of the play trying to make Roxie take interest in him or even just acknowledge his existence. | Barney Martin | Don Fellows | Joel Grey | Nigel Planer |
| Matron "Mama" Morton | The matron of the Cook County Jail who believes that all favors she gives should be reciprocated. | Mary McCarty | Hope Jackman | Marcia Lewis | Meg Johnson |
| Mary Sunshine | The newspaper reporter who follows the trials of both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. In most productions, Sunshine is revealed to be a male at the end of the show. | M. O'Haughey | G. Lyons | D. Sabella-Mills | C. Shirvell |
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