Kevin Richardson: Backstage Boy

explains Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson, over late-afternoon coffee at a cafe near New York's Times Square. But he isn't describing the cut of his cashmere sweater or the feel of a padded futuristic jumpsuit he'll sport on his next boy-band world tour. Richardson, who has just slipped into the cast of Broadway's long-running revival of the musical Chicago, is describing how he feels suiting up for stardom on the Great White Way.

"I've done musical theater before—I was in Bye Bye Birdie in high school, and before the Backstreet Boys I was in Pillow Talk and Barefoot in the Park in regional theater, so this isn't really foreign to me. It feels really good."

Richardson is certainly no stranger to showbiz razzle dazzle. For years he has performed worldwide at venues as varied as football stadiums and MTV's Total Request Live studios as one-fifth of the phenomenally successful pop quintet. But why Broadway, and why now?

"The opportunity just came to me, and I jumped on it," he says. "The band isn't touring or working on an album yet, so the timing is perfect."

And he found it hard to resist the role of smug and schmoozy attorney Billy Flynn (played in the film version by Richard Gere): "Flynn's a smooth operator; very powerful and in control at all times. And it just looked like a lot of fun. A lot of people still think of me as a kid, but I'm 31 years old, so this is an opportunity for me to do something on my own. It's a way for people to see me in a different light."

Not that a broadened artistic perspective is a priority for the throngs of young female Backstreet Boys fans who scream continuously during Chicago's curtain call and assemble en masse outside the stage door following each performance. Still, even this level of fanaticism seems tame compared with the attention that the Backstreet Boys garner when they appear together. "When we walk around as a group, it's impossible," Richardson says. "But we've been out of the limelight for a second—we've had a nice break, a little hiatus—so now when I'm out by myself, it's not as bad."

The Kentucky-born Richardson admits he had "no clue" that another boy-band star—'N Sync's Joey Fatone—was appearing in Broadway's Rent when he signed up for his Chicago duties, but he's not troubled by comparisons. In fact, like Fatone—who's popped up in a few indie films—Richardson is considering a similar move: "I've been reading a lot of movie scripts and waiting for an opportunity to come along. I'm just going to follow my heart, and what happens, happens."

One thing already on the schedule is a new Backstreet Boys record. "We're supposed to get back in the studio right when I'm done here," says Richardson, who's scheduled to stay with Chicago through March 9. In the meantime, he's savoring the chance to simultaneously perform and yet take a break from his role as a pop idol. "That's the great thing about getting to do Chicago," he says. "I get to be in character. I'm not going onstage as Kevin. I go out there as Billy Flynn. That's really cool."