Posted: 12/29/2002

Chicago

(2002)

by Hope Villanueva

Singing, dancing, and all that jazz!

I’ve decided that I want to be Catherine Zeta-Jones when I grow up. When the world thought she couldn’t be more beautiful or talented, here comes her tour de force performance as the showgirl/murderess Velma Kelly in Rob Marshall’s remake of a classic musical.

Chicago was a Kander and Ebb (the writers behind Cabaret) show revived a few years back on Broadway with more attitude and less clothing. The new cast was headed up by Bebe Neuworth and won many accolades from the theatre community. The story follows two women who are jailed in the era of vaudeville, Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), a vaudevillian who killed her husband and her sister when she caught them in bed together, and Roxie Hart (Renee Zellwegger), a ditzy, yet ambitious blonde who kills her lover when he tries to leave her. They are sent to the Cook County Jail, under the watchful eye of matron Mama Morton (Queen Latifah) and slick lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), who will be trying their cases. Roxie quickly usurps Velma’s publicity and a media tug of war ensues.

Marshall keeps the basic structure of the play intact, using the showy, sequin filled numbers to push the plot along and to showcase Roxie’s overgrown imaginings of the life she dreams of as a vaudeville star. Numbers like “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “Razzle Dazzle” display Flynn’s manipulation of the media to his every whim while “Roxie” and “Isn’t It Grand?” contrast Roxie’s fantasy with the reality of the struggling performer. The numbers are cross cut with more traditional cinematic scenes for irony and commentary. The choreography is modeled after the original theatrical dances creates by Bob Fosse, but avoids the trap Fosse shows fall into far too often of looking dated and formulaic. The dances are fluid and modern, while remaining appropriate to the period. Some outstanding numbers were cut for the film, but the story holds up quite well despite it.

The leading ladies of Chicago carry their weight lightly. Catherine Zeta-Jones is stellar, finally putting to use on film her years of experience in musicals on the British stage. She owns every scene she is in, not only with her powerful singing voice and dancing talent, but also with her acting. She is the most influential inmate in the clink and plays the part perfectly. Renee Zellwegger was a delightful surprise as Roxie. While not having the stage presence that Zeta-Jones does, she carries a tune well and with sass and transitions flawlessly from naïve jailbird to conniving media hog. Queen Latifah gets hot and bothered with her playful, “When You’re Good to Mama” and Richard Gere flaunts his ample charms as Billy Flynn, giving the audience a glimpse of his hard earned tap-dancing skills late in the film. A special treat comes in the form of John C. Reilly (Magnolia) as Roxie’s stomped on husband, Amos in a sweet and heartfelt rendition of “Mr. Cellophane.” There are also short appearances by Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu. Show stopping numbers include “We Both Reached for the Gun” and a wicked, masochistic version of “The Cell Block Tango.” The soundtrack is a must buy.

The door has only recently been reopened for movie musicals, by films like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, O, Brother Where Art Thou, and most notably, last year’s Moulin Rouge. These films revived the musical, but also raised the bar, demanding excitement, originality and true music and dance talents from their performers. For musical lovers everywhere, Chicago is the next stepping-stone in rebuilding a movie musical tradition in Hollywood.

Hope Villanueva is a thespian and film lover making her Los Angeles theatrical directing debut in just twelve short days. Razzle Dazzle ‘em!

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