 | Chicago is a Kander and Ebb musical set in prohibition era Chicago. The book is by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice, and the concept of the "celebrity criminal." The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she had reported on. |
| "Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville" opened on June 3, 1975, and ran for a total of 936 performances, closing on August 27, 1977. It starred Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, and Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn. Velma Kelly was a comparatively minor character in all versions of Chicago prior to the musical rendering. The role was fleshed out to balance Chita Rivera's role opposite Gwen Verdon's Roxie Hart. The musical got mixed reviews. The Brechtian style of the show, which frequently dropped the fourth wall, made audiences uncomfortable. It brought attention to the fact that the show was really about the world we live in, paralleling the glamorization of criminals with how society itself makes criminals into celebrities. Chicago's 1996 Broadway revival holds the record for the longest-running musical revival on Broadway (not counting the revue Oh! Calcutta!) and, as of March 2, 2008, it has played for more than 4,684 performances. There have beeen professional productions of Chicago Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Romania, South Korea, Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Canada, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Israel, South Africa, China, Australia, Singapore, Poland and the United Arab Emirates, as well as amateur productions in Croatia, Serbia, Spain, Hungary, Cyprus, Norway, India, and Albania. A film version of the Kander-Ebb musical was produced and released in 2002, starring Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, and Richard Gere as Billy Flynn. The story was told by staging the vaudeville acts as fantasies of Roxie Hart, eliminating some songs, and lightening the character of Roxie. The original lyrics of "Class" were restored for this film version, which although not present in the final release print, was included as a DVD bonus feature. The 2002 film won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Zeta-Jones won Best Supporting Actress. | |
Ruthie Henshall sings "All That Jazz" on the today show. Lyrics: All that Jazz Come on babe, why don’t we paint the town? And all that jazz I’m gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down And all that jazz Start the car, I know a whoopee spot Where the gin is cold, but the piano’s hot It’s just a noisy hall where there’s a nightly brawl And all... that... jazz Slick your hair, and wear your buckle shoes And all that jazz I hear that Father Dipp is gonna blow the blues And all that jazz Hold on hun, we’re gonna bunny hug I bought some aspirin, down at United Drug In case you shake apart, and want a brand new start To do... that... jazz Find a flask, we’re playing fast and loose And all that jazz Right up here is where I store all the juice And all that jazz Come on babe, we’re gonna brush the sky I betcha lucky Lindy Never flew so high Cause in the stratosphere How could he lend an ear To all... that... jazz? Oh, you’re gonna see your sheba shimmy shake And all that jazz Oh, she’s gonna shimmy till her garters break And all that jazz Show her where to park her girdle Oh, her mother's blood'd curdle If she'd hear Her baby's queer For all... that... jazz! No, I’m no one’s wife But, oh I love my life And all... that... jazz!! That jazz! | |
Current Broadway Shows Top Les Liaisons Dangereuses |
