The musical Chicago is one of the most successful Broadway productions in its history. The famous jazz performance began its victorious march in 1975 - it was then that the premiere of the musical "Chicago" on Broadway took place. Since then, the production has replaced hundreds of artists, traveled with Europe and America with a tour, received several significant awards and even gained a “Russian face”. Well, you can’t even mention the film version of this unusually successful work, because whoever hasn’t heard of the triumphant release of the 2002 film, which was also called Chicago! The musical, reviews of which are mostly flattering, won the Golden Globe Award and six Academy Award. However, we will start from the very beginning, namely, from how the product so successful and beloved by many appeared.
History of Chicago
The musical, reviews of which will make you watch it, might not have been born if there had been a series of ... crimes. In March 1924, in the city of Chicago, a variety show artist shot her boyfriend. This was written by an article by Chicago Tribune journalist Maureen Watkins. The offender claimed that she was deadly drunk, so she does not remember how she committed the murder. Already in April of that year, Watkins released another material about a married woman who shot her lover under jazz accompaniment.
These and other love-crime stories influenced the journalist, and she wrote the play “Chicago” in 1926. The musical, reviews of which confirm its success, appeared a little later, but immediately aroused interest from directors and producers. From the very first day, the audience liked the jazz production, after 898 shows on Broadway and 590 in the West End, the show was closed. However, in 1996, through the efforts of Bobby Walter and Anne Ringing, “Chicago” was revived with updated choreography, sets and costumes.
A story of love, murder and glory
Probably everyone at least knows about what is being discussed at Chicago. The musical, reviews of which mention its dynamism, tension and farcical raid, tells how in Chicago in the 1920s unknown people became popular, and famous people made their fame more acute due to scandals. Roxy Hart wants to become a singer along with the famous Velma Kelly. And she succeeds only ... after she found herself behind bars. The girl who killed her lover is instantly in the center of attention of all newspapers, and little by little they forget about Velma. Here the insidious actress takes revenge.
This story was called the narrative of "murder, greed, venality, violence, exploitation, adultery and betrayal." Well, if you haven't watched the Chicago musical, it's time to do it.
Chicago and Russia
Not only in America, the musical Chicago was staged. In 2003, the production premiered, produced by Philip Kirkorov and Alla Pugacheva. Despite the noisy advertising campaign and the "star" artists involved in the musical, "Chicago" did not live up to the hopes and money spent on it: the production did not last on stage and a year. However, ten years later, you can again see the musical "Chicago" in Moscow. The actors of the updated production say that this time the musical should become more successful, because Russian people are already ready for this kind of spectacle. Since October 2013, the Russian version of Chicago has been successfully held at the Moscow Youth Palace.