After an action-packed year for Gal Gadot on the big screen, another Israeli star is heading for the spotlight, but this time it’s on the Broadway stage.

Starting in September, Shiri Maimon is expected to star as Roxie Hart in Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago,” a production that has been running for more than 20 years. The Israeli pop star will follow in the footsteps of icons like Liza Minnelli, Brooke Shields and Melanie Griffith, who have all played Roxie on Broadway.

Maimon made her first major mark on the Israeli entertainment scene almost 15 years ago, when she placed second in the inaugural season of “Kochav Nolad,” similar to “American Idol” in the US. A series of hit records helped solidify the Haifa-native as Israel’s representative at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, where she placed fourth.

As reported on Tuesday by Israeli entertainment journalist Guy Pines, it was her lead role in  Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical “Evita” that captured the attention of the “Chicago” producers. “Evita” ran for a year and half at Habima Theater, the national theater of Israel, and received rave reviews.

Other noteworthy Israeli appearances on the Great White Way include Chaim Topol as Tevye the dairyman in “Fiddler on the Roof” and Dudu Fisher’s Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables.”

(via Israel21c)

[Photo: The X Factor Israel / YouTube ]