Broadway praise for Griffith

Griffith has received kudos for her role in Chicago

Hollywood actress Melanie Griffith has won praise for her debut role on Broadway.

Griffith, the star of such films as Working Girl and Mulholland Falls, has been appearing in the Broadway run of Chicago, playing the man-killing musical star Roxie Hart.

Griffith's role has been described as "one of the most bizarrely successful debuts in Broadway history", according to the New York Times on Monday.

The paper said the 45-year-old actress - who had never performed in front of a live audience before - had "minimal command" of the skills usually needed to succeed in musicals, saying she had a "baby doll voice".

"Yet Ms Griffith is a sensational Roxie, possibly the most convincing I have seen," the Times' reviewer said.

Both the Times and Daily Variety agreed that Griffith was not a natural dancer.

"Griffith has gorgeous gams but doesn't have a clue what to do with them," Variety said.

But "the contours of the character fit her screen persona like a lace glove", the paper added.

Griffith's role follows a Broadway performance from her husband, actor Antonio Banderas, who also drew acclaim for his role in the musical Nine this year.

He received a Tony nomination, the US theatre's equivalent of the Oscars.