Usher Goes To Broadway, Finds Kindred Spirit In Richard Gere

Hey, if it's good enough for Sebastian Bach, Toni Braxton, David Hasselhoff, Huey Lewis and Joey Fatone, certainly Usher can do it — the Grammy winner is going to Broadway.

On August 22, Usher makes his debut in the musical "Chicago," taking over the role of Billy Flynn, played by Richard Gere in the Oscar-winning movie. The 27-year-old singer has performed for millions of screaming fans on stages across the world, but he's never been on a stage like this.

"This is a very exciting time in my career," Usher said Friday (July 14) in a statement. "I have always admired Broadway actors for their showmanship, dedication and focus that goes into performing live onstage every night. Being on Broadway allows you to connect to audiences in a whole new way that's different from music and movies. When they asked me to play Billy Flynn in 'Chicago,' I jumped at the chance to be a part of such an amazing production."

Usher's Broadway stint ends October 1. His main producer, Jermaine Dupri, recently told MTV News that the singer is already thinking about his next album and should begin recording before the year is out (see "Jermaine Dupri Says Usher's 'Getting The Bug Again' ").