Bebe Neuwith, Joel Grey, and John Kander Launch Chicago's 20th-Anniversary Year

Broadway's Chicago launched its 20th-anniversary year with a celebratory cocktail reception at the Palm Restaurant on March 22. The event also served as a birthday party for Chicago composer John Kander, who turned 89 on March 18.

On hand for the event were the production's original stars, Bebe Neuwith, Joel Grey, and James Naughton, as well as current cast members Amra-Faye Wright, Paige Davis, and Jason Danieley; director Walter Bobbie; producer Barry Weissler; iconic composer John Kander; and Japanese actress Yoka Wao, who will star in this summer's all-female Japanese production of Takarazuka's Chicago, part of the Lincoln Center Festival from July 20-24.

The 20th-anniversary festivities will include a special advertising campaign featuring current and past cast members, including Neuwirth, Grey, Naughton, and Ann Reinking. Photographer Max Vadukul, who shot the show's iconic original ad campaign, returns for this new initiative, which features the tagline "Killing It Worldwide" in a nod to the show's international success.

The festivities will also include a one-night-only free concert of Kander and Ebb's score, plus Reinking's choreography, on August 31 at SummerStage in Central Park; an exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; and the above-mentioned presentation of Takarazuka's Chicago.

Featuring classic tunes by John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart, a 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 crime into a barrage of sensational headlines. The revival is directed by Walter Bobbie.

For tickets to Chicago on Broadway, click here.

For tickets to Takarazuka's Chicago, click here.