Erika Jayne Toasts Her Return to “Chicago” as She Extends Run in Broadway Hit: 'A Full-Circle Moment' (Exclusive)

Erika Jayne had a lot to celebrate on Tuesday, Jan. 28, as she raised a glass of bubbly at the Branch, the new private members club at Park Terrace Hotel in New York City.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 53, gathered at the hotspot alongside cast members from Broadway's Chicago to the long-running revival, in which she plays Roxie Hart.

Her run, which began Jan. 20, was originally scheduled just through Feb. 9 but audience response was so strong, it was extended an additional two weeks through Feb. 23.

Overlooking the iconic Bryant Park, the Brach proved to be the perfect location for the intimate affair, which was also attended by friends of Jayne's and members of the press. Guests sipped on espresso martinis and champagne after toasting's the singer's performance and the news that she'd be sticking around the boards for a little longer.

Related: Every Celebrity Who's Been in Chicago on Broadway

Related: How Erika Jayne Learned to Love Herself When It Felt Like the Whole World Was Hating Her (Exclusive)

PEOPLE exclusively announced back in September that Jayne was returning to Chicago.

She made her Broadway debut in the musical on Jan. 6, 2020, and was scheduled to continue performances through March 29. Sadly, her final performance ended up being on March 11 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a full shutdown of the industry.

Coming back to Chicago five years later, Jayne tells PEOPLE, was "a full circle-moment" for her.

"There's definitely a sense of, I have some unfinished business here because I never really felt like I had completed the job," she explains. "But it's also exciting because, I mean, it's been a hell of a five years since I've done this role. And I've been through it!"

Related: Tom Girardi Found Guilty of Embezzling Millions from His Clients. So What Does This Mean for Erika Girardi?

The reality star isn't kidding. In November 2020, she shocked RHOBH fans everywhere when she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Tom Girardi, the once-famed attorney known for his work on the case that inspired the Erin Brockovich movie.

Not long afterwards, Tom was slapped with multiple lawsuits claiming he had stolen settlement money from clients. He was disbarred and filed for bankruptcy as his firm, Girardi Keese, dissolved and filed for bankruptcy, too. As all this was going on, the 85-year-old was also placed under a permanent conservatorship, after being diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

In August 2024, a federal jury in Los Angeles found Tom guilty of embezzling more than $15 million from his clients, slapping him with four counts of wire fraud. He's yet to be sentenced.

Erika was dragged into multiple legal battles throughout this ordeal, many of Tom's victims questioning her involvement and whether she was on the line to pay back his debts.

She's maintained she knew nothing about Tom's crimes, and has scored victories in multiple civil suits, including a 2022 one where a judge ruled the prosecution failed to prove she was "aiding and abetting" her ex. But the court of public opinion still came down on her — including her fellow Housewives, who questioned why wasn't she turning over her assets and grilled her on whether she had any empathy at all?

That wave of outrage has calmed these days, something for which Erika is grateful.

"There were times I thought I'd never get back here," she tells PEOPLE, reflecting back on it all. "I'm just happy to be on this side of it, instead of the other side."

The experience, Erika says, "completely changed" the way she sees Chicago. "I was looking at the script the other day and some of these words [Roxie says] hit in a different way," she says. "It just feels completely new. You know, I've gained a lot of hard-earned wisdom over these past five years. So I'm seeing those lessons through Roxie."

Chicago follows Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two murderous women who use their criminal notoriety to find fame in the Vaudeville circuit.

The show was penned by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Its score — composed by John Kander with lyrics by Ebb — is filled with some of the most beloved songs in musical theater history including “All That Jazz,” “The Cell-Block Tango,” “When You’re Good to Momma,” “Roxie,” and “Razzle Dazzle."

Over the years, many legendary leading ladies have stepped into the roles of Roxie and Velma, beginning with Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera in the original 1975 production. Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth led the Tony Award-winning 1996 revival, which continues today as the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

An all-star movie adaptation of the musical was released in 2002 with Renée Zellweger and  Catherine Zeta-Jones as Roxie and Velma. The movie went on to win six Oscar Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Zeta-Jones.

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Meanwhile, Erika is by no means the first Bravo star to step into Chicago.

Roxie has been played by Ariana Madix, of Vanderpump Rules fame, in 2024 as well as Erika's former RHOBH costar Lisa Rinna (way back in 2007). And Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Kandi Burrus and NeNe Leakes each made their debuts on the Great White Way, both in the role of Matron Mama Morton.

Tickets for Chicago are now on sale.

Read the original article on People