SET in a vaudeville milieu, the story of two 1920's "jazz babies" Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly opens with a master of ceremonies announcing what it's all about: "murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's also about dancing, singing, acting and fun. No flashy mechanical props, just a company of enthusiastic performers delivering show-stopping numbers that include Billy and Company's witty "Razzle Dazzle."
Bendigo Theatre Company is bringing the famous broadway musical to The Capital from September 26 to October 5.
Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail.
Nightclub star Velma Kelly is serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two in bed together.
Driven chorus girl Roxie Hart has been tossed in the joint for bumping off the lover she's been seeing behind her husband's back.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and hot-tongued lawyer Billy Flynn, who turn Velma’s incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback.
But Roxie’s got some of her own tricks up her sleeve.
The original broadway production opened in 1975 at the 46th Street theatre and ran for 936 performances and in the West End in 1979 for 600 performances. Its revivals in both famous theatres break records for the longest running American musical in broadway history and the third longest running in the West End.
The film version of the musical brought Chicago back into popular culture in 2002. Led by the all-star cast of Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C Reilly and Queen Latifah, Chicago inspired a rebirth of the live production.
Prepare yourself for a fun night out filled with all of the promised murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, treachery, and of course, all that jazz.