All the right moves: Eddie George trades NFL field for 'Chicago' stage

"Chicago" on Broadway starred NFL legend Eddie George as Billy Flynn, with Angel Reda and Jennifer Dunne.
"Chicago" on Broadway starred NFL legend Eddie George as Billy Flynn, with Angel Reda and Jennifer Dunne.

If you go

› What: “Chicago” in Broadway at the Tivoli series.› When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 15-17; doors open at 6:30 p.m.› Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.› Admission: $37, $52, $67 and $77, plus fees.› Phone: 423-757-5580.› Website: www.tivolichattanooga.com.

Other Billy Flynns

Eddie Georgia has esteemed company in the role of Billy Flynn. Previous Broadway productions have starred Jerry Orbach and James Naughton. The 2002 movie, a Best Picture winner at the 75th Academy Awards, featured Richard Gere as Chicago’s slickest lawyer.

An NFL legend transforms into a song-and-dance man for a touring production of "Chicago," stopping in Chattanooga for three performances next week as part of the Broadway at the Tivoli series.

Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George is making his Broadway touring debut in the role of lawyer Billy Flynn, the sauve, sexy manipulator who can persuade anyone to do anything. Billy will take any case as long as it will put money in his pocket.

Set amid the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, "Chicago" is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might be ripped just as easily from today's tabloids.

With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, "Chicago" has become the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. The production picked up six 1997 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival, plus a Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.

Critics have described the production as "a triumph" (Time Magazine), "smashing" (Newsweek) and "Broadway's most electrifying show," (Entertainment Weekly).

George first appeared as Billy Flynn in a successful limited engagement at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway in 2016. Before taking the stage in "Chicago," he appeared in such works as Matthew Lopez's "The Whipping Man" (Nashville Repertory Theatre), Suzan-Lori Parks' "Topdog/Underdog" (Amun Ra Theatre) and in the title roles of both "Othello" and "Julius Caesar" at the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. He founded a Nashville-based theatrical troupe, Actors By George, in 2012.

His transition to the stage completes the journey that he began following his NFL playing career, which saw him providing commentary and analysis for the Tennessee Titans and Fox's college football coverage. He also had screen time in such TV series as NBC's "American Dream Builders" and in such films as "Best Man Holiday" and "The Game Plan."

George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 while playing for Ohio State University. That honor served as the prelude to a nine-year career in the NFL, which saw him lead the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV and selected to the Pro Bowl four consecutive years, finishing his career with the Dallas Cowboys under legendary coach Bill Parcells.

Since the conclusion of his playing career, George has earned his MBA from Northwestern University and founded Edward George Wealth Management Group. He resides in Nashville with his wife, Tamara Johnson, and family. He is on the board of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville.

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