Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville opened in June 1975. A scathing satire of celebrity, corruption, and what passes for the justice system, Chicago was directed and choreographed by the legendary Bob Fosse with music and lyrics from the acclaimed songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb. The divine Gwen Verdon starred as the kooky yet cold-blooded Roxie Hart, with Chita Rivera as merry murderous Velma Kelly and Jerry Orbach as smooth-talking shyster Billy Flynn. Chicago was a brilliant production with several knock-out numbers, including “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango,” “We Both Reached For The Gun,” “Mr. Cellophane,” and “Razzle Dazzle.” (Watch Vernon and Rivera perform the “Hot Honey Rag” below.)
Of course, timing is everything. A Chorus Line opened in July 1975 at the Shubert Theatre and was a box office smash and an unqualified critical success. It swept the Tony Awards, shutting out Chicago in every major category. While A Chorus Line would run for 6,137 performances, closing in April 1990, Chicago ran for just 936, closing in August 1977. It seemed for a while that Chicago would fade from popular memory. Then, almost 20 years later, Chicago returned for an encore, one that’s still going.
Director Walter Bobbie loved the Chicago score (rightly so) and pushed to bring the show to the Encores! series. Bobbie directed a concert staging at New York City Center in May 1996, just a few weeks before I moved to New York, with choreography that the amazing Ann Reinking fashioned “in the style of Bob Fosse.” Reinking also starred as Roxie paired with Bebe Neuwirth as Velma. Neuwirth was no stranger to Fosse’s work — she’d starred in revivals of Damn Yankees and Sweet Charity. Goddamn, was she electric as Velma. When she sang, “Find a flask, we’re playing fast and loose,” it was like she was serving notice for what was to come. (Watch below.)
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It wasn’t long before there was talk of bringing the Encores! Chicago production to Broadway. Producers Fran and Barry Weissler maintained the Encores! production’s stripped-down, minimalist style in costumes and staging, and most of the overt vaudeville themes were either removed or downplayed. Although the show is still technically set in the 1920s, it remains timeless.
The original Chicago is aggressively cynical and thus was not well-received so soon after Watergate. A Chorus Line is about veteran dancers auditioning for one final job in a Broadway production before their bodies give out. Chicago focuses on self-absorbed charlatans who literally get away with murder. It’s a far darker spin on the American dream, one that audiences were more willing to embrace in 1996, shortly after the O.J. Simpson trial verdict. The Chicago revival thrived alongside the rise of reality TV, where people chased fame at any cost, mirroring the line from “Roxie,” when she says, “I’m gonna be a celebrity. That means somebody everyone knows.”
The Chicago revival opened on November 14, 1996 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. I’d adored Bebe Neuwirth as Lilith on Cheers, so when I saw the Chicago revival TV promo showcasing her in that black dress and pixie bob wig, I knew I needed that show in my life. How could I resist the “original sin”? (Watch below.)
Here’s a slightly revised version, still featuring the original cast, for the 20th anniversary in 2016.
After Victor/Victoria closed at the Marquis Theatre in summer of 1997, my friend and boss Marjorie helped me transfer over to the Shubert Theatre, where Chicago was now playing (perfect symmetry, you might say). I would’ve sold the programs and souvenirs just for the privilege of seeing the show, but they actually paid me, as well. I can’t actually count how many times I watched Chicago in full. I was hooked as soon as Bebe made her entrance.
No matter how bummed I might be on a given day, the opening strains of the show’s overture was like a hit of Prozac. I’d watch the dancers enter the stage, seemingly “warming up” for Velma’s arrival: Jim Borstelmann, Caitlin Carter, Bruce Anthony Davis, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Denise Faye, Michael Kubala, Mary Ann Lamb, John Mineo, Tina Paul, Rocker Verastique, David Warren-Gibson, Leigh Zimmerman, and Michael Berresse (who originally showed up during “All That Jazz” but soon joined the company during the overture) — that was my Chicago cast, many of whom had worked with Fosse himself. (Watch below.)
Bruce Anthony Davis was particularly mesmerizing, and it’s still a blow that he’s no longer with us, nor is John Mineo, who was such a nice man. Ann Reinking passed away a few years ago. This clip, like my own memory of the show, has become a historical document.
The Chicago revival had surpassed the original in performances while I was still working at the Shubert. Even when I stopped freelancing and got a full-time job, I still worked weekends for a while because I loved the show that much. It took a long time for me to finally say goodbye. However, Chicago kept playing — during which time I got married, left the city, and had a kid. Chicago is now the longest-running show currently on Broadway, the longest-running musical revival, and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. It swept the Tony Awards in 1997. And that overture can still cheer me up.
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Monday, I wrote about rabid bigot Stephen Miller’s promotion to White House chief of staff.
My friend Tess Rafferty joined me to bid a less-than-fond farewell to Susan Collins, among other deserving Republicans who got crushed in last week’s midterms.
No, the Democrats who won in once-solid red states weren’t all “moderates.”
Scott Colom made lots of history this week when he defeated living Confederate monument Cindy Hyde-Smith. He’s now another Democratic senator who makes John Fetterman irrelevant.
That’s it for this week. See you on Monday.
I get your devotion to this show. I saw the big Follies revival in 2011/2012 four times, starting in the orchestra and moving to cheaper seats with every viewing and would have gone more if I could. I was preparing to leave New York after 38 years and knew my chances of seeing a production of this quality and extravagance again were slim, and it was a privilege to watch that cast, fronted by Bernadette Peters. anyway, no regrets about starting my next life chapter, no desire to move back to a New York that is no longer mine. but I of course miss access to the extraordinary artistic events the city offers and am so glad I was able to indulge my passion for Follies before my run in town ended and I took my show on the road.
Millions of “Law & Order” fans have no idea Jerry Orbach’s first life was as a song and dance man.