A fantastic tale set in Jazz Age Chicago about sensational homicides that were committed by women. Here’s my take on the second-longest running Broadway musical.
Broadway is home to a plethora of musical classics, one of which is Chicago, A Musical Vaudeville. This isn’t your ordinary, family-friendly classic. In fact, it’s not a story you can enjoy without learning about its history, because the musical is based on a play, which was based on actual homicides committed in the 1920s!
I've performed music from the Broadway show numerous times on stage during my performances at the Catalina Jazz Club. To see them, subscribe to my Youtube page!
I’ve seen Chicago and it is a splendid production. It has all the makings of a fantastic musical – amazing characters, a riveting plot, and genius musical numbers. Maurine Dallas Watkins wrote the 1926 book after reporting on the actual homicides for the Chicago Tribune. She wrote the story as a satire that details how the criminal justice administration is corrupt and sensationalized criminals to give them celebrity status.
The original Broadway production of Chicago, choreographed by Bob Fosse, opened at the Richard Rogers Theatre in 1975. Later, it made a West End theatre debut in 1979. Both productions ran for 936 and 600 performances, respectively.
It was then revived on Broadway in 1996 and has since hit numerous records – the production is the longest-running American musical on Broadway! The musical has been staged in productions around the world and toured the United Kingdom in addition to the United States.
The story stars characters Velma Kelly, a vaudevillian, and Roxie Hart, a chorus girl. Each of them is guilty of murder; Velma, her husband, and Roxie, a man she was having an affair with. It follows through with how they’re both sensationalized as celebrities because of how attractive they were, as well as their charismatic effect on the press and public.
Velma welcomes the audience at ‘her show’ with a performance of “All That Jazz,” a short yet exciting number that captivates the crowd and riles them up for what’s about to come. One of the most anticipated scenes in the production is when Roxie is taken to Cook County Jail, where she meets other murderesses in the women’s block. This is when Velma and the other murderesses perform “Cell Block Tango,” a glamorous performance in which they describe and defend their actions.
These songs are among the most popular because of their amazing adaptations for other productions and the 2002 film. Chicago: The Musical Vaudeville has also won awards in addition to breaking numerous records. In 1996, it won a Tony Award for the Best Revival of a Musical. The following year, it received a Laurence Olivier Award for an Outstanding Musical Production.
When the musical initially captured the public’s attention, some critics worried that it glamorized the murders’ actions, just as Watkins had feared. But Bob Fosse’s musical adaptation draws a clear distinction between what happens in the criminal justice system and show business.
It was definitely a controversial theme in its day, but that’s what made it so unique! With so many production houses releasing their own take on Chicago, my opinion is that every Broadway enthusiast should experience it at least once!
Let me know – have you seen Chicago? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out my album, "Yesterday Once More."