His kind of role

Tom Wopat (center) as Billy Flynn in ''Chicago,'' which comes to the Colonial Theatre on Tuesday. (Paul kolnik)

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the silver-tongued prince of the courtroom, the one, the only: Mr. Billy Flynn!"

In strolls Tom Wopat as the charming, double-dealing defender of the lethal ladies of Chicago's Cook County Jail, in a tailored tux and duplicitous grin.

Many remember Wopat from his glory days as Luke Duke in the 1979 sitcom "The Dukes of Hazzard." But the Tony-nominated actor and jazz singer has also earned raves on Broadway, starring alongside Alan Alda, Jeffrey Tambor, and Liev Schreiber in David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross"; opposite Bernadette Peters and Susan Lucci in "Annie Get Your Gun"; and of course in "Chicago" as a slick city lawyer, a role he slides into easily.

"It's a part that's not a real stretch," the deep-voiced actor says, laughing in a recent phone interview from Wisconsin, where he was performing in the "Chicago" tour that comes to the Colonial Theatre on Tuesday. "I knew I'd be a good fit. He's got a certain amount of arrogance and panache. He's really a lot of fun because very few people can tell him what to do and change his day."

Playing Billy, who tries to free his women by making them stars, also comes with a few perks.

"One thing I will say about Billy," says Wopat, "I show up late, get out early, and I only wear one outfit."

Wopat, who was first tapped to play Billy in 2004 and has since performed the role quite a bit both on Broadway and on tour, leaves little time for relaxation. He finished his Tony-nominated run in the musical "A Catered Affair" last July, and he took one day off before returning to "Chicago." In September, he was in the studio working on his latest jazz recording, "Consider It Swung," which was released in November.

Jazz is his real passion, he says: "I've been making these American jazz standards now, 'The Still of the Night' in 2000, a little studio record in 2005, 'Dissertation on the State of Bliss.' This one I just finished is hotter. It's got a little attitude to it. It's something I very much enjoy doing and I'd like to build over the little career I have left."

Wopat plays at the Carlyle hotel in New York this spring, and in the summer he launches into the musical version of "Catch Me If You Can" in Seattle before hopefully heading to Broadway as Frank Abignale Sr., a role played by Christopher Walken in the film. But at present it's all about Billy Flynn. "Right now," he says, "I'm just having fun."

Chicago runs Tuesday through Dec. 14 at the Colonial Theatre. 617-931-2787, www.broadwayacrossamerica.com