''Chicago'' is a 1975 American musical with music by

John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...

, lyrics by

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita ...

, and book by Ebb and

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...

. Set in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in the

Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same title by

Maurine Dallas Watkins Maurine Dallas Watkins (July 27, 1896 – August 10, 1969) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Early in her career, she briefly worked as a journalist covering the Courthouse Place, courthouse beat for the ''Chicago Tribune''. This exper ...

about actual criminals and crimes on which she reported. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal". The world premiere of the musical was a Broadway tryout from April 8, 1975, to May 3, 1975, at the

Forrest Theatre The Forrest Theatre is a live theatre venue at 1114 Walnut Street in the Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a seating capacity of 1,851 and is managed by The Shubert Organization.

in Philadelphia. The original Broadway production opened on June 3, 1975 at the

46th Street Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1925, it was ...

and ran for 936 performances, until August 27, 1977. Fosse directed and choreographed the original production, and his style is strongly identified with the show. It debuted in the West End in 1979, where it ran for 600 performances. ''Chicago'' was revived on Broadway in 1996, and a year later in the West End. The 1996 Broadway production holds the record as the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. It is the second longest-running show ever to run on Broadway, behind only ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

''. ''Chicago'' surpassed ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' on November 23, 2014, when it played its 7,486th performance. The West End revival became the longest-running American musical in West End history. The ongoing 1996 revival of ''Chicago'' is the longest-running show currently on Broadway. ''Chicago'' has been staged in numerous productions around the world, and has toured extensively in the United States and United Kingdom. The 2002 film adaptation of the musical won the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...

History

The musical ''Chicago'' is based on a play of the same name by reporter and playwright

, who was assigned to cover the 1924 trials of accused murderers

Beulah Annan Beulah May Annan (née Sheriff; November 18, 1899 – March 10, 1928) was an American suspected murderer. Her story inspired Maurine Dallas Watkins's play ''Chicago'' in 1926. The play was adapted into a 1927 silent film, a 1975 stage musical, a ...

and

Belva Gaertner Belva Eleanora Gaertner (née Boosinger; September 14, 1884 – May 14, 1965) was an American woman who was acquitted of murder in a 1924 trial. She inspired the character of Velma in the 1926 play ''Chicago'' created by Maurine Dallas Watkins; W ...

for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''. In the early 1920s, Chicago's press and public became riveted by the subject of homicides committed by women. Several high-profile cases arose, which generally involved women killing their lovers or husbands. These cases were tried against a backdrop of changing views of women in the

, and a long string of acquittals by

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

juries of female murderers (juries at the time were all male, and convicted murderers generally faced death by hanging). A lore arose that, in Chicago, feminine or attractive women could not be convicted. The ''Chicago Tribune'' generally favored the prosecution's case, while still presenting the details of these women's lives. Its rivals at the Hearst papers were more pro-defendant, and employed what were derisively called " sob-sisters" – women reporters who focused on the plight, attractiveness, redemption, or grace of the female defendants. Regardless of stance, the press covered several of these women as celebrities. Annan, the model for the character of

Roxie Hart Roxanne "Roxie" Hart is a fictional character. She is the main character of the 1926 play ''Chicago'' and its various remakes and derivatives. Development The playwright, reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, was inspired by the trials, both of which ...

, was 23 when she was accused of the April 3, 1924 murder of Harry Kalstedt, who served as the basis for the Fred Casely character. The ''Tribune'' reported that Annan played the

foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a time ...

record ''Hula Lou'' over and over for two hours before calling her husband to say she killed a man who "tried to make love to her". Her husband Albert Annan inspired the character Amos Hart. Albert was an auto mechanic who bankrupted himself to defend his wife, only for her to publicly dump him the day after she was acquitted. Velma Kelly is based on Gaertner, who was a cabaret singer and society divorcée. The body of Walter Law was discovered slumped over the steering wheel of Gaertner's abandoned car on March 12, 1924. Two police officers testified that they had seen a woman getting into the car and shortly thereafter heard gunshots. A bottle of gin and an automatic pistol were found on the floor of the car. Lawyers William Scott Stewart and W. W. O'Brien were models for a composite character in ''Chicago'', Billy Flynn. Just days apart, separate juries at the Criminal Courts building acquitted both women. Watkins' sensational columns documenting these trials proved so popular that she wrote a play based on them. The show received both good box-office sales and newspaper notices and was mounted on Broadway in 1926, running 172 performances.

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

produced a

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

version, ''

'' (1927), starring former

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career. Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...

bathing beauty Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart. It was later remade as ''

'' (1942) starring

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, but in this version, Roxie was accused of murder without having really committed it, due to content restrictions on Hollywood films of the era. In the 1960s,

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach ...

read the play and asked her husband, Bob Fosse, about the possibility of creating a musical adaptation. Fosse approached playwright Watkins numerous times to buy the rights, but she repeatedly declined; historian Kevin Boyd Grubb has speculated that, by this point, Watkins may have regretted Annan and Gaertner's acquittals, and felt that her treatment of them should not be glamorized. Nonetheless, upon her death in 1969, her estate sold the rights to producer Richard Fryer, Verdon, and Fosse.

and

began work on the musical score, modeling each number on a traditional

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

number or a vaudeville performer. This format made explicit the show's comparison between "justice", "show business", and contemporary society. Ebb and Fosse penned the book of the musical, and Fosse also directed and

choreographed Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer creates choreographies thr ...

Synopsis

Act I

Velma Kelly is a

vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatre, theatrical genre of variety show, variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comic ...

who welcomes the audience to tonight's show (" All That Jazz"). Interplayed with the opening number, the scene cuts to February 14, 1928, in the bedroom of chorus girl

, where she murders Fred Casely as he attempts to break off an affair with her. Roxie convinces her husband Amos that the victim was a burglar, and Amos agrees to take the blame. Roxie expresses her appreciation of her husband's willingness to do anything for her ("Funny Honey"). However, when the police mention the deceased's name, Amos belatedly realizes that Roxie has lied to him. With both Roxie and Amos furious at each other for the other's betrayal, Roxie confesses and is arrested. She is sent to the women's block in the Cook County Jail, where several women accused of killing their lovers are held (" Cell Block Tango"); among the inmates is Velma Kelly, revealing herself to have been involved in the death of her husband and sister after she caught them having sex, though she denies committing the act on account of blacking out from the sight. The block is presided over by Matron "Mama" Morton, whose system of taking

bribes Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

("When You're Good to Mama") perfectly suits her clientele. She has helped Velma become the media's top murderer-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 convinces Amos to pay for Billy Flynn to be her lawyer ("A Tap Dance"), though Amos lacks the funds. Eagerly awaited by his all-woman clientele, Billy sings his anthem, complete with a chorus of fan dancers ("All I Care About"). Billy takes Roxie's case before realizing Amos does not have the money; to make up the difference, he turns the case into a

media circus Media circus is a colloquial metaphor or idiom describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to b ...

and rearranges her story for consumption by sympathetic tabloid columnist Mary Sunshine ("A Little Bit of Good"), hoping to raise funds by auctioning off Roxie's belongings at inflated prices. Roxie's press conference turns into a ventriloquist act, with Billy dictating a new version of the truth ("We Both Reached for the Gun") to the reporters while Roxie mouths the words. Roxie becomes the most popular celebrity in Chicago, as she boastfully proclaims while planning for her future career in vaudeville ("Roxie"). As Roxie's fame grows, Velma's notoriety subsides, and in an act of desperation she tries to talk Roxie into recreating the sister act ("I Can't Do It Alone"). Roxie turns her down, only to find her own headlines replaced by the latest sordid crime of passion ("I Can't Do It Alone (Reprise)"). Separately, Roxie and Velma realize there is no one they can count on but themselves ("My Own Best Friend"), and Roxie decides that being pregnant in prison would put her back on the front page.

Act II

Velma returns to introduce the opening act, resentful of Roxie's manipulation of the system ("I Know a Girl") and ability to seduce a doctor into saying Roxie is pregnant; as Roxie emerges, she sings gleefully of the future of her unborn (nonexistent) child ("Me and My Baby"). Amos proudly claims paternity, but still, nobody notices him, and Billy exposes holes in Roxie's story by noting that she and Amos had not had sex in four months, meaning if she were pregnant, the child was not Amos's, in hopes that Amos will divorce her and look like a villain, which Amos almost does ("Mister Cellophane"). Velma tries to show Billy all the tricks she has planned for her trial ("When Velma Takes The Stand"), which Roxie treats skeptically. Roxie, upset with being treated like a "common criminal" and considering herself a celebrity, has a heated argument with Billy and fires him; Billy warns her that her kind of celebrity is fleeting and that she would be just as famous hanging from a noose. At that moment, Roxie witnesses one of her fellow inmates, a Hungarian woman who insisted on her innocence but could not speak English and whose public lawyer refused to defend her, become the first woman to be executed in Chicago in decades. The trial date arrives, and the now freshly terrified Roxie runs back to Billy, who calms Roxie by suggesting she will be fine so long as she makes a show of the trial ("Razzle Dazzle"). Billy uses Amos as a pawn, turning around and insisting that Amos is actually the father of Roxie's child. As Roxie recounts Billy's carefully crafted false narrative of the night of Fred's murder (with Fred re-appearing on stage in flashback), she steals all of Velma's schtick, down to the rhinestone garter, to the dismay of Mama and Velma ("Class"). As promised, Billy gets Roxie acquitted, but just as the verdict is announced, some even more sensational crime pulls the press away, and Roxie's fleeting celebrity life is over. Billy leaves, done with the case, admitting that he only did it for the money. Amos tries to get Roxie to come home and forget the ordeal, but she is more concerned with the end of her brief run of fame and admits she isn't pregnant, at which point a fed up Amos leaves her. The final scene cuts to a Chicago vaudeville theater, where Roxie and Velma (acquitted off-stage) are performing a new act in which they sing bittersweetly about modern life ("Nowadays"). The former Mary Sunshine, revealed during the trial actually to be a man in drag, takes his natural male form as a pushy vaudeville promoter, shaping Roxie and Velma's dance ("Hot Honey Rag") to make it as sexy as possible. The show ends with a brief finale as Roxie and Velma thank their audience ("Finale").

Musical numbers

;1975 Original Broadway Production ''"Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville"'' ;Act 1 * "Overture" – Orchestra * " All That Jazz" – Velma Kelly and Company * "Funny Honey" – Roxie Hart * " Cell Block Tango" – Velma and the Murderesses * "When You're Good to Mama" – Mama Morton * "Tap Dance" – Roxie, Amos, 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 * "Chicago After Midnight" – Orchestra * "My Own Best Friend" – Roxie and Velma ;Act 2 * "I Know a Girl" – Velma * "Me and My Baby" – Roxie and Company * "Mister Cellophane" – Amos Hart * "When Velma Takes the Stand" – Velma and Boys * "Razzle Dazzle" – Billy and Company * "Class" – Velma and Morton * "Nowadays" – Roxie * Finale: "Nowadays"/"R.S.V.P"/"Keep It Hot" – Roxie and Velma † ;1996 Revival Production ''"Chicago: The Musical"'' ;Act 1 * "Overture" – Orchestra * " All That Jazz" – Velma and Company * "Funny Honey" – Roxie * " Cell Block Tango" – Velma and the Murderesses * "When You're Good to Mama" – Mama Morton * "Tap Dance" – Roxie, Amos, and Boys * "All I Care About" – Billy Flynn and Girls * "A Little Bit of Good" – Mary Sunshine * "We Both Reached for the Gun" – Billy, Roxie, Mary and the Reporters * "Roxie" – Roxie and Boys * "I Can't Do It Alone" – Velma * "I Can't Do It Alone (Reprise)" – Velma * "My Own Best Friend" – Roxie and Velma * "Finale Act I: All That Jazz (Reprise)" – Velma ;Act 2 * "Entr'acte" – Orchestra * "I Know a Girl" – Velma * "Me and My Baby" – Roxie and Company * "Mister Cellophane" – Amos * "When Velma Takes the Stand" – Velma and Boys * "Razzle Dazzle" – Billy and Company * "Class" – Velma and Mama Morton * "Nowadays" - Velma and Roxie * "Hot Honey Rag" – Orchestra * "Finale Act II: All That Jazz (Reprise)" – Company † In the 1975 Original Broadway Production and its Playbill, there are a few contradicting song lists. Songs such as "R.S.V.P" and "Keep It Hot" which were instrumental pieces in the "Finale" were removed from the licensable music, but were included in original production and script. Other songs such as "Ten Percent" sung by a deleted character who was Velma's agent, and "No" sung by Roxie and Boys were cut soon into the production and only appear on demo recordings and in the original Playbill, but are not in the original script. Other cut songs from the show were "Rose Colored Glasses" a different version of "We Both Reached for the Gun", "Pansy Eyes", and "Loopin' the Loop".

Cast and characters

Original casts

Source for West End: overthefootlights.co.uk Principal characters (defined as having at least one featured musical number) and original performers of notable productions:

Notable replacements

Broadway (1975–1977) *Roxie Hart:

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, Hal Linden, Peter Lockyer,

Jeff McCarthy Jeffrey Charles McCarthy (born October 16, 1954) is an American actor and director. Early life McCarthy was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Santa Maria, California, Santa Maria near the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, ...

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, Paul Alexander Nolan,

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, Adam Pascal,

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, Clarke Peters, Ron Raines, Kevin Richardson, John Schneider, Matthew Settle,

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, Christopher Sieber,

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, Usher,

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, Max von Essen, Tom Wopat, Sebastián Yatra,

Tony Yazbeck Tony Yazbeck (born March 14, 1979) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage, including the revival of ''On the Town (musical), On the Town'', for which he received 2015 Tony Awards, Tony Award and Ou ...

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, Adrian Zmed, Marco Zunino *Amos Hart: Rob Bartlett, Kevin Carolan, Kevin Chamberlin, Cory English, Christopher Fitzgerald, James T. Lane,

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, Isaac Mizrahi,

Vincent Pastore Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an Italian American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. He also made notable appearances in the HBO ...

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, Chris Sullivan, Paul C. Vogt *Mama Morton: Kandi Burruss, B.J. Crosby,

Lea DeLaria Lea DeLaria (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. She portrayed List of Orange Is the New Black characters#Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Carrie "Big Boo" Black on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' ...

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Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

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, Anne L. Nathan,

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, Roz Ryan, Camille Saviola,

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, Mary Testa,

Aida Turturro Aida Turturro (born September 25, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Janice Soprano on the HBO drama series ''The Sopranos''. Early life and education After graduating from high school, Turturro earned a Bachelo ...

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, Lillias White,

Terri White Terri White is an American actress and singer. The daughter of traveling musicians Bill White and Gertrude Hughes, White has appeared in '' Nunsense 2: The Sequel'' (1994), '' Ain't Misbehavin (1978), '' Barnum'' (1980), '' Welcome to the Clu ...

, Wendy Williams, Chandra Wilson, Carol Woods *Mary Sunshine: Daniel Levine, Max von Essen West End revival (1997–2012) *Roxie Hart:

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

, Emma Barton,

, Anita Louise Combe,

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, Maria Friedman, Josefina Gabrielle,

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Linzi Hateley Linzi Hateley (born 23 October 1970) is an English stage actress. At the age of 21, in 1992, she became one of the youngest nominees for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as the Narrator in the West End ...

, Aoife Mulholland, Petra Nielsen,

, Frances Ruffelle, Suzanne Shaw,

Claire Sweeney Claire Jane Sweeney (born 17 April 1971) is an English actress, singer, and television personality. Known for her portrayal of Lindsey Corkhill on Channel 4's '' Brookside'' (1991–2003), she also played Roxie Hart in ''Chicago'' ( West End, ...

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, Denise van Outen,

*Velma Kelly: Anna-Jane Casey, Anita Louise Combe,

, Nicola Hughes, Debbie Kurup, Rachel McDowall, Anna Montanaro, Valerie Pettiford, Leigh Zimmerman *Billy Flynn: Luca Barbareschi, John Barrowman, David Bedella,

Darius Campbell Darius Campbell Danesh (19 August 1980 – 11 August 2022) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, actor and film producer. He first came to prominence as Darius Danesh when he appeared in the first series of ''Popstars'' in 2001, and the 2002 inaug ...

, Robin Cousins, Juan Pablo Di Pace, John Diedrich,

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French musician and singer who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou", and " The Good Lif ...

Michael French Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in ''EastEnders''; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in '' Casualty'' and former ...

, Matthew Goodgame, Michael Greco,

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, Raza Jaffrey, Duncan James,

Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC One, BBC medical drama ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', DI Rich ...

Craig McLachlan Craig Dougall McLachlan (born 1 September 1965) is an Australian actor, musician, singer and composer. He has been involved in film, television, the music industry and music theatre for over 30 years. He is best known for appearing in the soap o ...

Jimmy Osmond James Arthur Osmond (born April 16, 1963) is an American singer and businessman. He is the youngest member of the sibling musical group the Osmonds. As a solo artist, Osmond has accumulated six RIAA certification, gold records, one RIAA certific ...

, Clarke Peters, Kevin Richardson,

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, Jonathan Wilkes, Gary Wilmot *Amos Hart: Justin Lee Collins,

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, James Doherty,

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, Gareth Hale, Kevin Kennedy,

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, Norman Pace, Clive Rowe *Mama Morton:

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, Sharon D. Clarke,

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, Brenda Edwards,

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, Gaby Roslin *Mary Sunshine: Cory English, Nathan Kiley

Musical and staging style

According to

, he wrote the book in a

style because "the characters were performers. Every musical moment in the show was loosely modeled on someone else: Roxie was Helen Morgan, Velma was

Texas Guinan Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan (January 12, 1884 – November 5, 1933) was an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. Born in Texas to Irish immigrant parents, Guinan decided at an early age to become an entertainer. After becoming a s ...

, Billy Flynn was Ted Lewis, Mama Morton was Sophie Tucker." Composer

elaborates that the reason the show was called a vaudeville "is because many of the songs we wrote are related to specific performers like those you mentioned, and

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

and Bert Williams as well." It was through the initial production, and not the writing, that many of the "traditional" ''Chicago'' staging conventions were developed: The double snap in "Razzle Dazzle" was added as an afterthought at the suggestion of Ebb to Kander. Kander explains: "I remember when we wrote "Razzle Dazzle", before we took it in and played it for Bob, you bbsaid with absolute confidence 'Try adding a couple of finger snaps to it. Bobby will love that.' We added them...and as soon as he heard the finger snaps, he loved the song." During rehearsals, "Razzle Dazzle" was originally staged as an orgy on the steps of the courthouse. Fosse was talked out of allowing this staging, when Orbach "convinced him that he was missing the Brechtian subtlety intrinsic in the number."Leve, James
''Kander and Ebb'', "Chapter: Chicago-Broadway To Hollywood"
''Kander and Ebb'', Yale University Press, 2009, , p. 86 The original finale was "Loopin' the Loop", a doubles act with Verdon and Rivera; however, "the scene seemed too much like an amateur act so Fosse asked for something more 'glamorous in pretty gowns. The piece was cut and replaced with "Nowadays". Instrumental sections of "Loopin' the Loop" can still be heard in the Overture. Two other sections termed "Keep It Hot" and "RSVP" were cut from the finale as well. Another principal character, a theatrical agent named Henry Glassman, was played by

David Rounds David Rounds (October 9, 1930, Bronxville, New York – December 9, 1983, Lomontville, Ulster County, New York) was an American actor of stage and screen. He received both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award in 1980 for his role in '' Morning ...

, whose role was to exploit the notoriety of the prisoners for his own gain. He also served as the evening's M.C. This character's role and the song "Ten Percent" was cut, with the character folded into that of Matron Mama Morton, and various members of the chorus shared his M.C. duties. In a reversal of roles, Fosse decided the lyrics for "Class" were too offensive and censored Kander and Ebb's original version. One of the original lyrics "Every guy is a snot/Every girl is a twat" was restored for the 2002 film, although the entire number was cut from the final product.

Productions

Original Broadway production

''Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville'' opened on June 3, 1975 at the

, and ran for a total of 936 performances, closing on August 27, 1977. The opening night cast starred

as Velma Kelly,

as Roxie Hart,

Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical and global celebrity on te ...

as Billy Flynn, and

Barney Martin Barney Martin (March 3, 1923 – March 21, 2005) was an American actor, best known for playing Morty Seinfeld, father of Jerry, on the sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1991–1998). He also played supporting roles in Mel Brooks's '' The Producers'' (1967 ...

as Amos Hart. Velma Kelly had been a comparatively minor character in all versions of ''Chicago'' prior to the musical rendering. The role was fleshed out to balance Rivera's role opposite Verdon's Roxie Hart. The musical received mixed reviews. The Brechtian style of the show, which frequently dropped the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

, made audiences uncomfortable. According to James Leve, "''Chicago'' is cynical and subversive, exploiting American cultural mythologies in order to attack American celebrity culture." The show opened the same year as Michael Bennett's highly successful ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'', which beat out ''Chicago'' in both ticket sales and at the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s. The show was on the verge of closing when it ran into another setback: Verdon had to have surgery on nodes in her throat after inhaling a feather during the show's finale. The producers contemplated closing the show, but

stepped in and offered to play the role of Roxie Hart in place of Verdon. Her run lasted slightly over a month (August 8, 1975, through September 13, 1975), boosting the show's popularity, until Verdon recuperated and returned to the show. Ann Reinking, who would go on to star in the highly successful 1996 revival and choreograph that production in the style of Fosse, was also a cast replacement for Roxie Hart during the show's original run.

1979 West End

The first West End, London production opened at the

Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, London, Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and const ...

in April 1979 and ran for around 600 performances (having had its European premiere at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 1740 and drove the industrialisation of the city. ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, on 23 November 1978). It commenced in the West End with most of the Sheffield cast, and was directed by Peter James and choreographed by Gillian Gregory. The producers were Ray Cooney and Larry Parnes. Jenny Logan starred as Velma Kelly, with Ben Cross as Billy, Antonia Ellis as Roxie Hart and

Don Fellows Don Fellows (December 2, 1922 – October 21, 2007) was an American actor known for his roles in British theater and television. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Fellows served in the United States Merchant Marine ...

as Amos Hart. Ellis (Actress of the Year in a Musical) and Ben Cross (Actor of the Year in a Musical) were nominated for the

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

for their performances, and the musical was nominated as Musical of the Year.

Elizabeth Seal Elizabeth Anne Seal (born 28 August 1933) is a British actress. In 1961, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role of '' Irma La Douce''. Career Elizabeth Seal made her professional de ...

later replaced Ellis as Roxie Hart.

1977 Argentina

The original Argentine production opened at the Teatro El Nacional featuring Nélida Lobato (Roxie), Ambar La Fox (Velma), Marty Cosens (Billy), Jovita Luna (Mama Morton) and Juan Carlos Thorry (Amos) as a replica of the original Broadway production. The book was adapted by Enrique Pinti and the production was directed by Wilfredo Ferran and Mike Ribas. Gene Foote choreographed the production based on the original choreography by

. It was produced by Alejandro Romay.

1981 Australia

The original Australian production opened at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

's Drama Theatre in June 1981. Featuring Nancye Hayes (Roxie), Geraldine Turner (Velma), Terence Donovan (Billy), Judi Connelli (Mama) and

George Spartels George Bernard Spartels (born 25 April 1954) is an Australian actor, presenter, director, playwright and children's musician of Greek descent on his father's ancestry, and English and Irish on his mother's. He remains best known for his role ...

(Amos), it was a new production directed by Richard Wherrett for the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

, rather than a replica of the Broadway production. It transferred to the Theatre Royal in Sydney, before touring to Melbourne's

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

, Adelaide's Festival Theatre and a return season at the Theatre Royal, playing until March 1982. Sydney Theatre Company's production also toured to the

Hong Kong Arts Festival The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), launched in 1973, is an international arts festival held in Hong Kong. It covers all genres of the performing arts as well as a diverse range of educational events in February and March each year. Histor ...

in February 1983.

1992 Los Angeles

The Long Beach Civic Light Opera presented Chicago in 1992, directed by

Rob Marshall Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...

with choreography by Ann Reinking.

Juliet Prowse Juliet Anne Prowse (25 September 1936 – 14 September 1996) was a British-American dancer and actress whose four-decade career included stage, television and film. She was born in Bombay (today's Mumbai) then of British India, raised in South ...

played Roxie opposite

as Velma. Gary Sandy played Billy Flynn with Kaye Ballard as Mama Morton.

1996 Broadway revival

City Center A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

series presented ''Chicago'' in concert in May 1996.Haun, Harry and Viagas, Rober
"Hit 'Encores!' 'Chicago' Definite for B'way"
playbill.com, June 18, 1996 The Encores! series, according to their statement, "celebrates the rarely heard works of America's most important composers and lyricists...Encores! gives three glorious scores the chance to be heard as their creators originally intended." The production was directed by Walter Bobbie with choreography "in the style of

" by Ann Reinking, who also reprised her previous role as Roxie Hart. Also in the cast were

as Velma Kelly,

as Amos Hart and

James Naughton James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. On television he is best known as astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season television series ''Planet of the Apes''. He won Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical ...

as Billy Flynn. The show was well-received, with Howard Kissel, reviewing for the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' writing that "This ''Chicago'' impressed me far more than the original.".

Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher, and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 t ...

, in his review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', wrote " 'Make love to the audience' was another Fosse dictum. That's exactly what Ms. Reinking and her ensemble do. ''Chicago'' can still seem glibly cynical and artificially cold, especially in its weaker second act. But these performers know just how to take off the chill." By May 10, 1996, there was talk of a Broadway production: "Down the block, there is a move afoot to move the Encores production of ''Chicago'' to Broadway. Rocco Landesman said that he and Fran and Barry Weissler wanted to bring the production to the Martin Beck Theater this summer." Barry and Fran Weissler brought the Encores! production to Broadway, after some revision and expansion, but retaining the spare and minimalist style in costumes and set.Sommer, Elyse
"Review. 'Chicago'"
curtainup.com, accessed April 19, 2015 The set design includes the presence of the band center stage in an evocation of a jury box, around and upon which the actors play some scenes. There are also chairs along the sides of this central piece, in which the actors at times sit or lounge, when not directly involved in the action. The show opened on November 14, 1996, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (the same theater where the original production had played) with a script adapted by David Thompson, eventually setting a record for recovering its initial costs faster than any other musical in history, likely due in part to the stripped-down design elements. Unlike the original production, the revival was met with praise from critics. The ''CurtainUp'' reviewer noted, "The show garnered ecstatic reviews, enviable box office sales and enough awards to warrant a special Chicago trophy room." Society had changed in light of events such as the

O. J. Simpson murder case ''The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson'' was a Criminal procedure, criminal trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court, in which former National Football League, NFL player and actor O. J. Simpson was tried and acquitt ...

, and audiences were more receptive to the criminal-as-celebrity theme of the show. The revival of ''Chicago'' won six

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

, more than any other revival in Broadway history until '' South Pacific'' won seven Tonys in 2008. ''Chicago'' won for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Bebe Neuwirth, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for James Naughton, Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Ken Billington, Best Director of a Musical for Walter Bobbie and Best Choreography for Ann Reinking." 'Chicago' 1996 REvival"
playbillvault.com, accessed April 19, 2015 ''Chicago: The Musical'' has run for more than 11,000 performances" 'Chicago' Listing"
IBDB.com and holds the record for longest-running musical revival on Broadway. Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton, and Joel Grey returned for cameo appearances. The cast recording of the revival was released on January 28, 1997, on RCA Victor. The cast recording won the 1997

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Musical Show Album. Among the many other performers and celebrities who have appeared in the show are Adam Pascal,

, Amra-Faye Wright, Amy Spanger,

, Ana Villafañe, Angelica Ross, Ariana Madix,

, Carol Woods, Chandra Wilson, Charlotte d'Amboise, Chris Sullivan,

, Christopher Fitzgerald, Christopher Sieber, Cuba Gooding Jr., Debra Monk,

, Erich Bergen, Erika Jayne,

, Isaac Mizrahi,

, James Monroe Iglehart,

, Kara DioGuardi, Kevin Chamberlin, Kevin Richardson, Leigh Zimmerman, Lillias White, Lisa Rinna, Marco Zunino,

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She was born in Washington D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her ca ...

, Nana Visitor,

, Paulo Szot, Philip Casnoff, Rita Wilson, Rob Bartlett, Roz Ryan, Rumer Willis,

, Sebastián Yatra, Shiri Maimon,

, Taye Diggs,

, Usher, Veronica Dunne, and Wendy Williams. On February 12, 1997, the Broadway production moved into the larger Shubert Theatre. On January 29, 2003, more than six years into its run, the Broadway production moved a second time, to the Ambassador Theatre, where it has played ever since. On November 23, 2014, ''Chicago'' became the second longest-running Broadway show, surpassing ''Cats''.

London revivals

On November 18, 1997, the revival production opened in London's West End. Like the New York revival, it was directed by Walter Bobbie and designed by John Lee Beatty, with choreography by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse.Bosanquet, Theo
"''Ugly Betty's'' America Ferrera Leads ''Chicago'' at Garrick
, WhatsOnStage, October 10, 2011 The show ran at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

for nine years until transferring to the

in April 2006. The original cast of the production included German jazz singer Ute Lemper as Velma, British actress

as Roxie Hart,

Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, writer and musician. His television credits include playing Neil in the sitcom '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in the sitcom '' Filthy Rich & Catflap'', as well as narrating th ...

as Amos Hart, and Henry Goodman as Billy Flynn. The production won the 1998 Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical, and Lemper was awarded Best Actress in a Musical. Both Lemper and Henshall have played the role of Velma on Broadway. Like its Broadway counterpart, the London production featured many celebrities, including

, Anita Louise Combe, Aoife Mulholland,

, Clive Rowe,

, Denise van Outen, Frances Ruffelle, Gaby Roslin,

, James Doherty,

, John Barrowman, Josefina Gabrielle, Justin Lee Collins,

, Kevin Richardson, Leigh Zimmerman,

, Maria Friedman,

, Michael Greco,

, Raza Jaffrey,

, and

. The production moved out of the Cambridge Theatre on August 27, 2011 and transferred to the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

on November 7, 2011, starring America Ferrera as Roxie. Robin Cousins joined the cast as Billy Flynn on July 17, 2012. The show closed on September 1, 2012 after a total run of nearly 15 years in London. The UK tour of the production continued after the closing. To celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the West End revival production, ''Chicago'' returned, this time at the Phoenix Theatre opening April 11, 2018, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Billy Flynn, Sarah Soetaert as Roxie Hart, Josefina Gabrielle as Velma Kelly, and Ruthie Henshall as Mama Morton. A cast change saw Martin Kemp take over the role of Billy Flynn, with

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the talent television show ''The X Factor'' in 2008. Following the show, she was signed to Syco Music and releas ...

as Roxie Hart and Mazz Murray as Mama Morton. Denise Van Outen was announced to take over the role of Velma from 24 September 2018, but due to sustaining a stress fracture in her heel, her integration was delayed until 7 October. The production featured on ITV's reality show, The Big Audition, to cast the replacement Velma. Following multiple rounds of singing, dancing and acting auditions, Laura Tyrer was selected to fill in for the role.

North American tours

There have been ten North American national tours of ''Chicago''.Gans, Andrew.
"Wopat, Marroquin, MacLeod and Ryan to Head Cast of 'Chicago' Tour"
playbill.com, September 16, 2008 The first tour started in April 1997 in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, six months after the revival opened on Broadway. The cast featured Charlotte d'Amboise (Roxie Hart),

(Velma Kelly),

(Billy Flynn) and Carol Woods (Matron "Mama" Morton). A second company started in December 1997 in

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, Florida. The tour went on hiatus in Fall 1999 and started again in October 1999 in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, featuring

as Billy Flynn,

(Velma) and Nana Visitor (Roxie). The next tour started in October 2000 in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

, with Robert Urich. Chita Rivera joined the tour for several weeks. The 2003 tour started in June 2003 at the National Theatre,

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, with Brenda Braxton playing Velma,

Bianca Marroquin Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. It is known in the Anglosphere as a character in William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew''. It came to greater notice in the 1970s, due to public fi ...

as Roxie, and

as Billy Flynn. During 2004 the tour cast included

and Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn and Carol Woods as Matron "Mama" Morton. The most recent tour started in November 2008 in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

and starred Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn, Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart, Terra C. MacLeod as Velma Kelly and Roz Ryan (later replaced by Carol Woods) as Matron "Mama" Morton. On January 16, 2012 Peruvian actor Marco Zunino joined the cast as Billy Flynn.

2013 Hollywood Bowl

For its annual fully staged musical event, the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

produced a limited run of ''Chicago'' from July 26-28, 2013, directed by

. The cast included

Samantha Barks Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a British actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has released three studio albums: ''Looking in Y ...

as Velma Kelly,

as Roxie Hart, Stephen Moyer as Billy Flynn,

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey gained stardom in his own Situa ...

as Amos Hart, and

Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series ''Xena: Warrior Princess'', as Number Three (Battlestar Galactica), D'Anna Biers on the re-im ...

as Mama Morton.Hetrick, Adams and Gans, Andrew
"Hollywood Bowl Chicago, With Ashlee Simpson, Samantha Barks, Stephen Moyer, Gives L.A. the Old Razzle Dazzle July 26"
playbill, July 26, 2013

2019 Australia

On 14 June 2018, the Gordon Frost Organisation announced a revival tour of ''Chicago'' commencing early 2019 at the Capitol Theatre in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The show starred Natalie Bassingthwaighte as Roxie and Casey Donovan as Mama Morton. The Melbourne leg of the tour starred

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 millio ...

as Billy Flynn. Donovan's father

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six Roman comedy, comedies based on Greek comedy, Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. A ...

had played the same role in the 1981 Australian production.

2021 UK tour

A new UK and Ireland tour began on September 11, 2021 at the King's Theatre, Glasgow.

2023 Australia

Australian theatrical producers John Frost (For Crossroads Live Australia) and Suzanne Jones (For Jones Theatrical Company) have confirmed they are uniting once more to bring ''Chicago'' back to Australia. This 2023/2024 production of ''Chicago'' will have its premiere at Perth’s Crown Theatre from November 2023, with a Brisbane season at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Lyric Theatre to closely follow in January 2024. Two months later in March 2024, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne will host the production, And opens in August at the Festival Theatre Adelaide. Australia musical theatre star Anthony Warlow portrayed the role of Billy Flynn opposite Lucy Maunder as Roxie Hart.

International productions

''Chicago'' has been produced several times in Denmark. The earliest productions were at Aarhus Teater and Alléscenen, both in 1976, with the latter notably starring Susse Wold as Roxie Hart, Lisbet Dahl as Velma Kelly, and Bent Mejding as Billy Flynn. ''Chicago'' has subsequently been produced at Det Danske Teater in 1977, Mercurteatret in 1988, Odense Teater in 1989, and Nørrebros Teater in 1992. Recently, ''Chicago'' has been produced twice at

Det Ny Teater Det Ny Teater (English: The New Theatre) is an established theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, first opened in 1908. It is based in a building which spans a passage between Vesterbrogade and Gammel Kongevej in Copenhagen's theatre district on the borde ...

. The first production opened September 2007 and starred Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Roxie Hart, Julie Steincke as Velma Kelly, and Peter Jorde as Billy Flynn. The second production opened January 2017 and starred Maria Lucia Rosenberg as Roxie Hart and Tomas Ambt Kofod as Billy Flynn, with Steincke reprising her role of Velma Kelly. A new production of ''Chicago'' at Aarhus Teater opened May 2024. The first Japanese-language production of the Tony-winning revival of Kander and Ebb's ''Chicago'' debuted in October 2008 at the Akasaka ACT Theatre in Tokyo, Japan, followed by an engagement at Osaka's Umeda Art Theatre. Presented by Barry and Fran Weissler in association with Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. and Kyodo Tokyo Inc., the b production starred Ryoko Yonekura as Roxie Hart, Yōka Wao as Velma Kelly and Ryuichi Kawamura as Billy Flynn. In

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, the musical opened on June 16, 2012 starring Tati Alcántara, Denisse Dibós, and Marco Zunino at Teatro Municipal de Lima in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

. The show was also staged using a Spanish translation in Costa Rica in 2017 starring Silvia Baltodano and Isabel Guzman. A French-language production of ''Chicago'', based on the Broadway 1996 revival, opened on September 18, 2018 at Théâtre Mogador in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with

Sofia Essaïdi Sofia Essaïdi (; born 6 August 1984) is a French-Moroccan singer and actress. She was born in Casablanca, to a Moroccan father, Lhabib Essaïdi, and a French mother, Martine Adeline Gardelle. Career From 30 August to 13 December 2003, she p ...

as Velma Kelly, Carien Keizer as

and Jean-Luc Guizone as Billy Flynn. Directed by Dominique Trottein with a book translated by Nicolas Engel, this production is choreographed by Ann Reinking and the music was supervised by Rob Bowman. This production closed on June 30, 2019. In March 2019, the U.S. national touring cast completed a nine-day, 16-performance ''Chicago'' residency at Heichal HaTarbut in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, with Israeli singer and actress Shiri Maimon reprising the role of Roxie Hart that she previously held on Broadway. The

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

Ontario, Canada Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, presented an entirely new production of ''Chicago'' as part of their 2020 season; the organization was granted new production rights outside of New York or London for the first time in 30 years. It was directed by Donna Feore. A new production directed by Drew Anthony and choreographed by Lauren Ferreira was staged at The Royale Theatre at Planet Royale during September 2022, with Lucy Williamson as Velma, Elethea Sartorelli as Roxie, Brendan Hanson as Billy Flynn, Rachel Monamy as Mama Morton, Vincent Hooper as Amos and Greg Jarema as Mary Sunshine. In addition, a production of ''Chicago'' was staged in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in 2000, and again in 2003 and 2007. ''Chicago'' has been staged in Seoul several additional times since then; in 2018, the musical had its thousandth Korean performance.

Recordings

There have been several

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage Musical theatre, musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the ...

s of ''Chicago'': *1975 Original Broadway Cast *1981 Original Australian Cast *1996 Broadway Revival *1998 London Cast"'Chicago' 1998 London Cast"
amazon.com, accessed October 2, 2011 *1997 Austrian (German-language) Cast – Live Cast Album (with Anna Montanaro) *1999 Dutch Cast – Live Cast Album, 2 discs (with

) * 2002 Film Soundtrack *2014 German Cast - Live Cast Album, Stuttgart, 1 disc with Nigel Casey, Lana Gordon, Carien Keizer

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Original London production

1996 Broadway revival

1997 London revival

References

External links

Official websiteSpanish production official website
*
Plot summary, character descriptions & licensing info for ChicagoChicago at ovrtur.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago (Musical) 1975 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in Chicago Drama Desk Award–winning musicals Laurence Olivier Award–winning musicals Musicals based on plays West End musicals Musicals choreographed by Bob Fosse Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties Musicals set in courtrooms Musicals set in prison Musicals by Kander and Ebb Fiction about sororicide Fiction about mariticide Fiction about murder Tony Award–winning musicals