Chicago (musical)

Chicago.

This is about the stage musical. For the film adaptation, see Chicago (2002 film).

Chicago is a musical based on the play of the same name by Maurine Dallas Watkins.

Cast

• Gwen Verdon - Roxie Hart
• Chita Rivera - Velma Kelly
• Jerry Orbach - Billy Flynn
• Barney Martin - Amos Hart
• Mary McCarty - Mama Morton
• Michael O'Haughey - Mary Sunshine
• Cheryl Clark - Liz
• Michon Peacock - Annie
• Candy Brown - June
• Graciela Daniele - The Hunyak
• Pamela Sousa - Mona

Plot

In the mid 1920s in Chicago, Illinois, Velma Kelly is a vaudevillian who murdered both her husband and her sister when she found them in bed together. She welcomes the audience to tonight's show. Velma got arrested by the police because of her crime. Meanwhile, we hear of chorus girl Roxie Hart's murder of her lover, nightclub regular Fred Casely.

Roxie convinces her husband Amos that the victim was a burglar, and Amos cheerfully takes the blame. Roxie expresses her appreciation of her husband's thick skull. However, when the police mention the deceased's name Amos belatedly puts two and two together. The truth comes out, and Roxie is arrested. She is sent to the women's block in Cook County Jail, inhabited by Velma and other murderesses. The block is presided over by the corrupt Matron "Mama" Morton, whose system of mutual aid perfectly suits her clientele. She has helped Velma become the media's top murder-of-the-week and is acting as a booking agent for Velma's big return to vaudeville.

Velma is not happy to see Roxie, who is stealing not only her limelight but also her lawyer, Billy Flynn. Roxie tries to convince Amos to pay for Billy Flynn to be her lawyer. Eagerly awaited by his all-girl clientele, Billy sings his anthem, complete with a chorus of fan dancers. Billy takes Roxie's case and re-arranges her story for consumption by sympathetic tabloid columnist Mary Sunshine. Roxie's press conference turns into a ventriloquist act with Billy dictating a new version of the truth to the press while Roxie mouths the words.

Roxie becomes the new toast of Chicago and she proclaims so boastfully while planning for her future career in vaudeville. As Roxie's fame grows, Velma's notoriety is left in the dust and in an "act of pure desperation", she tries to talk Roxie into recreating the sister act, but Roxie turns her down, only to find her own headlines replaced by the latest sordid crime of passion. Separately, Roxie and Velma realize there's no one they can count on but themselves, and the ever-resourceful Roxie decides that being pregnant in prison would put her back on the front page.

Velma again welcomes the audience with the line "Hello, Suckers," another reference to Texas Guinan, who commonly greeted her patrons with the same phrase. She informs the audience of Roxie's continual run of luck despite Roxie's obvious falsehoods. A little shy on the arithmetic, Amos proudly claims paternity, and still nobody notices him. Velma tries to show Billy all the tricks she's got planned for her trial. With her ego growing, Roxie has a heated argument with Billy, and fires him. She is brought back down to earth when she learns that a fellow inmate has been executed.

The trial date arrives, and Billy calms her, telling her if she makes a show of it, she'll be fine, but when he passes all Velma's ideas on to Roxie, she uses each one, down to the rhinestone shoe buckles, to the dismay of Mama and Velma. As promised, Billy gets Roxie her acquittal but, just as the verdict is given, some even more sensational crime pulls the pack of press bloodhounds away, and Roxie's fleeting celebrity life is over. Billy leaves, done with the case. Amos stays with her, glad for his wife, but she then confesses that there isn't really a baby, making Amos finally leave her. Left in the dust, Roxie pulls herself up and extols the joys of life. She teams up with Velma in a new act, in which they dance and perform until they are joined by the entire company.

Musical numbers

Act I

• "All That Jazz" – Velma Kelly and Company
• "Funny Honey" – Roxie
• "Cell Block Tango" – Liz, Annie, June, Hunyak, Velma and Mona
• "When You're Good to Mama" – Matron "Mama" Morton
• "No" – Roxie and Boys
• "All I Care About" – Billy Flynn and the Girls
• "A Little Bit of Good" – Mary Sunshine
• "We Both Reached for the Gun" – Billy, Roxie, Mary Sunshine
• "Roxie" – Roxie and Boys
• "I Can't Do It Alone" – Velma
• "My Own Best Friend" – Roxie and Velma

Act II

• "I Know a Girl" – Velma
• "Me and My Baby" – Roxie and Company
• "Mr. Cellophane" – Amos
• "When Velma Takes the Stand" – Velma and Boys
• "Razzle Dazzle" – Billy and Company
• "Class" – Velma and Morton
• "Nowadays" – Roxie
• "Hot Honey Rag" – Roxie and Velma
• "I Move On" - Velma and Roxie