Running from gossip, Ariana Madix finds relief in Broadway's salacious musical, 'Chicago'

NEW YORK (AP) — “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix becomes the latest celebrity to take on the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical, “Chicago.”

The show comes at a good time for Madix, who found out in the past year that her longtime partner and “Vanderpump Rules” co-star Tom Sandoval was cheating on her with another co-star. Madix hopes that her stint on “Dancing with the Stars” and playing Roxie in “Chicago” will continue the trend of her being associated with something other than gossip and tabloid headlines.

“If I am in the papers, it’ll be for things that are positive. It’ll be for the work that I’m doing. It will be for more things like this and hopefully less things that are not fun,” Madix told The Associated Press at a recent press day for the show.

She says that appearing on the reality television show taught her how to be herself, and that’s something she plans on bringing to her version of Roxie, which she stars in starting Jan. 29 for eight weeks.

“The Ariana Roxie is going to be unlike anyone else, because we’re all different people and we’re all going to bring our own experiences to it. So, I’m really looking forward to that.”

Set in the 1920s, the musical is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals. It has Bob Fosse-inspired choreography, skimpy outfits and killer songs such as “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango.”

On the Broadway stage, Madix is surrounded by an entire cast, so she expects the run to be “really fun.” But that doesn’t mean she won’t react to her nerves.

“If anyone hears me screaming in my dressing room, it’s just part of me getting out my nervousness. It’s what I do,” Madix said.