Former Takarazuka top star Yoka Wao has been announced as the star in a production of the Broadway musical "Chicago." The announcement was made on Tuesday in New York, when she appeared on stage during the curtain call of a performance. It was the first time ever that a cast member of a Japanese production of a Broadway musical has been introduced on Broadway.

This is Wao's first musical since retiring from the Takarazuka Revue in 2006. Announced last month, the production features a Japanese cast but will be produced by the same staff as the original Broadway run in 1975. Wao plays the part of Velma Kelly, while Ryoko Yonekura co-stars as Roxie Hart and singer Ryuichi Kawamura plays the lawyer Billy Flynn. Both Yonekura and Kawamura have never appeared in a musical before.

"Chicago" will be performed at the Akasaka ACT Theater in Tokyo from October to November.