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From ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to Broadway: What we know about Whitney Leavitt’s musical debut

The “Secret Lives of Mormon Lives” star is scheduled to play a starring role in a long-running musical early next year.

(Disney | Eric McCandless) Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas perform on "Dancing With the Stars."

After dancing before America on TV, Utah reality star Whitney Leavitt is going to Broadway.

The “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star has signed on to play the role of Roxie Hart in the musical “Chicago,” the theater publication Playbill reported Monday.

Leavitt, 32, who came within one episode of making the finals on “Dancing With the Stars” last month, will play the naive murder suspect in the classic musical at New York’s Ambassador Theatre for a limited engagement.

The show dates run from Feb. 2 to March 15, Playbill reported.

(Eric McCandless | Disney) ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" hosts Alfonso Ribiero and Julianne Hough speak with Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas after being eliminated in the semi-finals, which aired on Nov. 18, 2025.

This production often brings in celebrities for short runs for its two main roles, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Other stars who have played Roxie recently include Mira Sorvino, Ashley Graham, Alyssa Milano, Ariana Madix, Olivia Holt and Pamela Anderson.

Broadway actor Kate Baldwin, who received a Tony nomination for her performance in a 2009 revival of “Finian’s Rainbow,” is now playing Roxie, through Jan. 11. Renee Zellweger played Roxie in the 2002 movie, which won the Best Picture Oscar.

In an interview last week on the podcast “Call Her Daddy,” Leavitt said she’s also recently signed to be in her first movie, though she gave no details.

The original musical, written by Fred Ebb, John Kander and Bob Fosse, premiered in 1975 with the Broadway legend Gwen Verdon playing Roxie — “the name on everybody’s lips,” as one lyric identifies her.

The current production debuted in 1996, won the Tony for best revival that year, and marked its 29th anniversary last month.