Whitney Leavitt, Mark Ballas Reunite on Broadway for Chicago

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Mark Ballas is bringing the ol’ razzle dazzle to Broadway.

The professional dancer from Dancing With the Stars recently performed in Chicago with his season 32 partner, Whitney Leavitt, for a four-week engagement.

Mark stars as the charming lawyer Billy Flynn alongside the actress from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, who played Roxie Hart and helped the show achieve its most successful week in its 29-year run.

Following his debut performance on April 6th, the 39-year-old performer bowed with Whitney while receiving a standing ovation from the audience at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City.

Mark and Whitney, whose performance was originally planned for six weeks until March 15th but has now been extended, will continue to perform until May 3rd. This won’t be their last show!

I was so thrilled to see Whitney share how proud she is of Mark after their first performance on Dancing with the Stars! She posted a picture of him taking his bow on her Instagram Stories and simply wrote, ‘Absolutely incredible,’ and honestly, I couldn’t agree more – he was amazing!

For the professional dancer, performing as Billy felt especially meaningful, as one of his early auditions was for the musical Chicago in London’s West End, though he wasn’t selected for the role at that time.

Looking back, he remembers being 19 and starting out in the entertainment industry – learning to handle setbacks and hearing ‘no’ a lot. Now, twenty years later, he’s thrilled to be returning to Broadway as Billy Flynn, marking his third Broadway show. He believes this success proves that hard work, perseverance, and dedication are truly worthwhile.

He’s happy to be working with Whitney. Even though they were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars in November, they’ve stayed close since their time competing on the show.

We clicked immediately,” she said on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast after they were eliminated. “We just really connected. I think some people just have that natural chemistry, and we definitely did.

But that’s not to say Mark went easy on Whitney, 32, while competing for the Mirrorball Trophy.

The reality star explained that Mark has a knack for helping people realize their potential. She shared that she often doubted herself, thinking, ‘I can’t do this, I don’t understand,’ but Mark would encourage her to keep going. He challenges people and is tough on them because he genuinely believes in their abilities.

For more celebrities who’ve dazzled on the Great White Way, keep reading.

Robert Downey Jr. has moved on from his role in the Marvel universe and recently made his Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar’s play, McNeal. The play centers around Jacob McNeal, a writer facing a terminal illness who unexpectedly receives a Nobel Prize. Despite his strong dislike of artificial intelligence, he considers using AI to help him write one final, great novel.

As for why the Iron-Man star decided to hit the stage in the Bartlett Sher-directed production?

I was so excited to read what the playwright said in Vogue last October! He described his new play as tackling really relevant issues, and highlighted the amazing talent – Bart and the whole cast – involved. What struck me most was how he talked about Ayad’s writing. Apparently, Ayad has this incredible way of presenting opposing ideas within the same line, constantly challenging and even dismantling what he’s just established with a new perspective. It’s brilliant, really.

Before starting his new role, Robert reached out to Bradley Cooper—a fellow Marvel actor who received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the 2015 play The Elephant Man—to get some advice.

Robert remembered telling someone, ‘Just remember you’ll be aware of your feet, but when you walk on stage, the audience will feel supportive, like a soft cushion.’ He thought that sounded encouraging, so he decided to follow Bradley Cooper’s example and embrace the experience as something positive, as he told The Independent at the time.

Whitney Leavitt quickly transitioned from competing on Dancing With the Stars – where she was eliminated in November 2025 – to performing on Broadway in Chicago. Originally scheduled for a six-week run as Roxie Hart ending in March 2026, strong audience demand extended her performance into April.

Whitney is a lively personality on the Hulu reality show she stars in alongside Taylor Frankie Paul, Mayci Neeley, and other popular “MomTok” influencers. But before becoming a reality TV star, the former competitive dancer – who trained at Brigham Young University in Utah – always hoped to perform on stage.

She told Playbill in March 2026 that a love of performing has always been a part of who she is. As a child, she enjoyed making up dances and staging mini music videos for her family, often gathering her cousins to put on shows for the adults.

And yet she still had nerves about taking her dance skills from TikTok to the Great White Way. 

In a February 2026 Instagram video, she shared how overwhelmed she was feeling. She explained that performing solo in front of a live audience was a completely new experience and her biggest source of nerves. After a lot of preparation, she hoped she’d feel comfortable and confident when she took the stage, and that everything would come naturally. Ultimately, she just wanted to trust in her abilities.

Pamela Anderson showed she could handle the Broadway stage when she played Roxie Hart in Chicago. She connected with the story on a personal level and performed in the show for two months, finishing her run in June 2022.

She told TopMob News in April that she’d lived a full and eventful life, with both triumphs and challenges. She admitted she never understood the purpose of her past experiences, but now realizes they were preparing her for something bigger than she ever expected.

She felt a connection to Roxie, recognizing both her fragility and resilience. Like Roxie, she understood what it was like to face difficulties with humor and poise, to be misrepresented by the media, and ultimately, to transform challenging situations into positive outcomes with genuine kindness.

Though she was enthusiastic about the role, the Baywatch star understood she had a lot of preparation ahead of her before she could convincingly play Roxie and wear the character’s famous fringed dress.

She confessed she’d never pushed herself so hard, but she was thriving on it. She enjoyed the demanding rehearsals and the feeling of satisfaction that came with being exhausted at the end of the day. She was learning everything she could, completely immersed in the experience. She’d always dreamed of being a performer, but never believed it would actually happen.

And the former Playboy model admitted she was surprised to be cast in the role.

I can’t believe they chose me, it feels a little wild, but I’m incredibly thankful,” she said. “It’s a big risk for all of us, but I’m learning so much about singing – it takes both bravery and a lot of practice, like building a muscle. I feel myself improving more and more each day.

Tom Felton captivated audiences during a 19-week stage production of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, where he returned to play Draco Malfoy as an adult.

Nearly two decades after the Battle of Hogwarts, the story centers on an unlikely friendship. Albus Severus Potter, son of Harry and Ginny, and Scorpius Malfoy, Draco’s son, both find themselves in Slytherin House and form a bond with each other.

It feels surreal,” Tom shared on Today in June 2025, five months before the show’s premiere. “I keep expecting to wake up! I hadn’t played that character for sixteen years, and now I get to revisit him – and this time, experience the role as a father, within a brand new story.”

Despite appearing in all eight Harry Potter movies as the well-known villain, the actor admitted he wasn’t a natural performer on stage.

He explained that the play feels like a completely separate story from the Harry Potter movies he remembers from childhood. Now, instead of being the audience he grew up with, he’s in the position of a parent watching it. While revisiting a familiar role, it also feels like exploring something new and different.

Charli D’Amelio first gained fame on TikTok, then showcased her dancing on the show Dancing With the Stars in 2022. Now, in October 2024, she’s making her Broadway debut in the musical & Juliet.

So, I was following this influencer’s work as Charmian, and originally, her contract was set to finish in January 2025. But, things changed! It got extended not once, but twice, meaning she continued in the role longer than initially planned.

She expressed immense excitement about joining the Broadway scene, something she’d dreamed of since childhood. In a statement released in September 2024, ahead of her almost year-long engagement, she said making her Broadway debut—and as part of the cast of & Juliet—was a dream come true, and she was eager to share the experience with audiences.

Although it was her Broadway debut, and the role as a member of Shakespeare’s acting troupe involved a lot of dancing, she felt comfortable and prepared thanks to her years of experience.

She shared with ABC7 that November that dance had always been deeply meaningful to her, explaining she used it as a form of expression when words weren’t enough.

Though, it was still hard to grapple with such a prestigious honor.

Charli, also a winner on Dancing with the Stars, shared that she never imagined she’d be where she is today, and often struggled with self-doubt. She expressed deep gratitude to everyone who supported her, especially her mom, who tirelessly drove her to dance classes and competitions, and consistently encouraged her to pursue her passion even when she lacked confidence.

Similar to Whitney and Pamela, Ariana Madix was excited to play Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. The Vanderpump Rules star earned the opportunity after a difficult time – she was asked to perform just nine months after her very public and painful split from her former co-star, Tom Sandoval.

Understandably, she described that chapter in her life to TopMob News as “the rollercoaster.”

Ariana, who performed in the musical from January to April 2024 and again from August to September 2024, explained that it’s impossible to easily summarize everything that happened.

For the reality TV star, this was a chance to overcome a difficult experience and achieve great success.

She’s incredibly emotionally manipulative,” she said about Roxie. “She’ll be incredibly charming to get what she wants, but if you don’t meet her demands, she’ll quickly turn on you.

Julianne Hough dreamed of performing on Broadway, but she wanted to wait for the perfect role. When she came across the play POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, she felt it was exactly what she’d been waiting for.

From April to August 2022, Alfonso Ribeiro, known for co-hosting Dancing With the Stars, played Dusty, a public relations staffer for a U.S. president. Alongside Rachel Dratch, Vanessa Williams, Julie White, Lilli Cooper, and Lea DeLaria, he was part of a team trying to manage the president’s image during a scandal.

She mentioned discussions about performing on Broadway, but in an interview with TopMob News in May 2022, she explained she didn’t want it to just be something she accomplished and moved on from. She wanted to truly become involved with the Broadway community, learn from others, and be a genuine part of it, rather than just making a brief appearance.

Nicole Scherzinger always dreamed of stardom. While she achieved a level of fame as the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls – touring the world and enjoying the perks of celebrity – her biggest dream came true when she played Norma Desmond in the musical Sunset Boulevard from October 2024 to July 2025.

As a lifestyle expert, I often talk about finding your purpose, and honestly, that’s been my own journey too. I remember feeling so unfulfilled for a long time, like I wasn’t truly living up to who I could be. That’s exactly how Nicole, the incredible Tony Award winner, described her feelings to me. She said she always knew she had more to offer, and this particular role finally gave her the chance to truly shine and share everything she had. It completely transformed her life, and she’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity. It’s a beautiful reminder that when you find work that aligns with your soul, it can be truly life-changing.

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2026-04-07 16:18