If you want to see “Chicago” this week, all you’ve really got to do is drive to Birmingham — where you just might catch a glimpse, in the bargain, of a musical theatre talent who can trace his onstage roots back to Cullman.

Cullman native and 2017 CHS graduate Drew Fillinger is among the cast of the Broadway national tour of “Chicago the Musical,” the six-time Tony-winning Broadway production that premieres in Birmingham this week to share a big-city slice of the roaring 1920s with an Alabama audience.

Presented by The American Theatre Guild in partnership with Broadway in Birmingham, the eight-performance Alabama stop marks the first production of the 2024-2025 Broadway in Birmingham season, as well as the first stop on the current “Chicago” Broadway national tour.

A standout performer while a high school student at Cullman, Fillinger continued honing his acting and vocal chops during his college days at Samford University and beyond. Boarding the touring cast of “Chicago,” though, definitely comes as his biggest stage break yet — and he’s been pleasantly surprised at just how close an eye the Cullman community has kept on his artistic career. “I think I’ve heard [online] from 300 or maybe even 400 people who have told me they’re coming to watch my show in Birmingham,” he told The Times. “It just blows my mind that that many people are spending the ticket price — the ticket price for a Broadway tour — to come watch little old me.”

For the benefit of “Chicago” first-timers (as well as the current production’s bespoke thematic spin on the classic), Fillinger’s role in the musical is being kept under wraps until its first touring stop in Birmingham has concluded. “I’m not allowed to talk too much about it,” Fillinger teases. “But you can at least say that I’m a reporter!”

“Chicago the Musical” runs through Nov. 24, at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, with tickets available online through the American Theatre Guild (americantheatreguild.com/birmingham/shows/chicago/), as well as directly through the venue’s upcoming events web page (www.bjcc.org/upcoming-events).

Below is a schedule for the remaining available performances of “Chicago the Musical” at the BJCC:

Wednesday, Nov. 20 — 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 21 — 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 22 — 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23 — 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 24 — 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Read more about Fillinger’s road to the stage in the Spring edition of Cullman Magazine.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or 256-734-2131 ext. 234.