She first played Roxie Hart on the stage in the hit musical Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End in April 2001."Van Outen lights up Chicago" BBC News – 18 April 2001 Her run proved a hit with theatre-goers, selling out for the entire 20 weeks. Unknown in the United States, she reprised her role on Broadway in the spring of 2002, before returning to the show's London version in late April 2002.Ovation for returning Van Outen BBC News – 30 April 2002 Late the same year, Van Outen appeared as one of many special guest stars in a performance of The Play What I Wrote once again in London's West End.
