The Case of Chicago Part 2 (2002)
Hey Cassettes and welcome back to ANOTHER episode of The Black Case Diaries! Last week, we started our two-part saga on the making of Chicago, the hit 2002 movie musical. We covered the real-life history behind the film and some of the behind-the-scenes aspects as well. Today, we’re continuing our deep dive on Chicago by covering the film’s actors, songs, reception, and more!
So let’s jump right back in: a 5, 6, 7, 8…
One thing that made Chicago stand out was its incredible cast. Rob Marshall was adamant that they find actors that could pull off the intensive singing and dancing required for the film, so that no body doubles would be used while filming. This meant that the actors went through 6 weeks of a rehearsal process that felt more like musical boot camp.
Renee Zellweger was new to musicals when she was cast as Roxie Hart. She was a naturally gifted singer, but had never had any formal training until rehearsals started for Chicago. She had recently starred as the title character in Bridget Jones’ Diary, which earned her a first-time Oscar nomination.
Because of her background in cheerleading and gymnastics, Rob Marshall knew that Zellweger had the athletic prowess to learn the steps. Once he heard her sing, he knew she was perfect for the part.
Catherine Zeta-Jones guided Zellweger through the process, since she was more experienced in singing and dancing. Zellweger would stand a few paces behind her in rehearsals and try to match Zeta-Jones’ steps.
Catherine Zeta-Jones started her career in musical theater as a child. She starred in productions of Annie and Bugsy Malone on Broadway, and played the lead in 42nd Street when she was only seventeen. She had always wanted to be on the stage, and she adored the golden age of Hollywood, when movie musicals were at their most popular.
Before playing Velma Kelly in Chicago, Zeta-Jones starred in The Mask of Zorro and America’s Sweethearts. But musical theater is really where she feels most at home.
Catherine Zeta-Jones loved working with Renee Zellweger, and the two of them had a strong bond off-screen, despite their characters’ feud.
Richard Gere, like Catherine Zeta-Jones, had a lot of musical theater experience coming into rehearsals. He had previously starred in a West End production of Grease, and was known for roles in films like Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride.
Gere was intrigued by Bill Condon’s script for Chicago. He liked the satire of the justice system, and he was a fan of the film’s concept. He felt that Roxie’s visualization of events as musical numbers added a childlike innocence to a very serious and corrupt story.
Gere was perfect as Billy Flynn, but there was one issue: he couldn’t tap dance. As Flynn performs his elaborate closing arguments in the courtroom, the audience sees the character perform a mesmerizing tap routine on Roxie’s imaginary Onyx Theater. Choreographer Cynthia Onrubia spent weeks teaching Gere how to tap.
Film and stage actor Taye Diggs plays the bandleader, the character that announces several of the acts in Chicago.
The bandleader makes an appearance in the real world at the beginning of the film as a piano player in the club where Velma performs. After that, he acts as a throughline in the film, stringing together the imaginary performances in Roxie’s mind. He reappears at the end as the piano player for Roxie as she auditions, and then in the finale he announces Roxie and Velma’s act.
Taye Diggs has played several roles in Broadway productions of Hedwig and the Angry Itch, Wicked, and Rent. Right now he has a recurring role on the CW show All American.
Queen Latifah really shines as Matron “Mama” Morton, especially during her solo musical number “When You’re Good to Mama.”
Although mostly known as a Rap and Hip Hop artist, Queen Latifah had been acting on the screen for several years before Chicago. For example, she starred on the hit show Living Single and made a guest appearance in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
She’s acted and produced many film and TV projects since Chicago, and returned to the movie musical genre in 2007 in Hairspray.
John C Reilly grew up acting in community theater musicals in Chicago. But he had never sung professionally.
He sent in two audition tapes of his poignant rendition of Amos’ signature song, “Mr Cellophane.” Rob Marshall told him he didn’t have to do it twice, he was so good. Reilly revealed to Marshall that he actually did it 13 times but only sent in the two tapes.
When Reilly asked if he should wear a bow tie, he was told that his character would be coming from work as a mechanic. John replied that he thought that Amos would be really proud of his work, so he ended up wearing the bow tie.
Amos is the heart of the production. His weary and heartbreaking song stands out against the bright and extravagant numbers performed by the more corrupt characters in the film. He grounds the show by illustrating just some of the pain that Roxie has caused.
Christine Baranski plays the savvy newsperson Mary Sunshine, whose voice narrates Roxie’s trial. She’s a key figure in showing the audience how the story was presented to the public, making their adoration for Roxie more understandable (and frustrating).
Baranski is a gifted actor that has made several appearances on Broadway and in film. She memorably played Martha May Whovier in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and starred in The Good Wife and The Good Fight as Diane Lockhart.
Music
Danny Elfman considers late 1920s and early 1930s music to be a specialty of his. In fact, he has said that learning to play Duke Ellington solos was one of the ways he learned to write music. So, producers of Chicago asked the composer (known for scores like Spider-Man and Beetlejuice) to write about fifteen minutes of score for their film. His music fit in perfectly between the original show’s songs.
As we mentioned before, the songs featured in Chicago were written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Six songs from the original score were cut from the film. One of them, Class performed by Catherine Zeta Jones and Queen Latifah, was filmed for the movie and later cut. Kander and Ebb actually wrote a new song just for the film adaptation that plays over the credits. It’s called I Move On and is sung by Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Chicago is known as a dance musical, where the steps are just as important as the songs. Associate choreographers Joey Pizzi and Cynthia Onrubia, assistant choreographer Denise Faye, choreographic supervisor John DeLuca, and director/choreographer Rob Marshall devoted an entire week to developing the dance steps for each number.
Overture/All That Jazz
Sung by Catherine Zeta-Jones and (briefly) Renee Zellweger, All That Jazz introduces the two main characters: Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Unlike many of the following numbers in the musical, this is performed in the “real world” on a stage in front of a crowd of people. This is Velma Kelly’s last performance before she is arrested for killing her husband and her sister.
It’s in this sequence that we flash to Roxie’s imagination, where she is performing the same song on stage. As Velma continues to perform, Roxie goes home with her lover. Although the characters are in different places, their movements mirror each other to show the connection between them.
Funny Honey
After Roxie murders her lover, Fred, her husband Amos attempts to take the fall for the crime. As Amos claims that Fred was a burglar that he shot in defense of his wife, Roxie sings a song about her loyal husband who would go any length to protect her. But as Amos discovers that the man Roxie killed was not a burglar, but a man that she was sleeping with, he stops defending her.
Rob Marshall said that this musical number was inspired by Showboat, a 1927 musical that was adapted into film in the 1930s and 1950s.
When You’re Good to Mama
As Roxie is introduced to her cell on murderess row, she meets “Mama,” the prison matron that will help her get whatever she needs…for a price.
Queen Latifah had never performed in a movie musical before appearing as Matron “Mama” Morton. Her signature performance, When You’re Good to Mama, was inspired by the work of real-life performer, Sophie Tucker. Tucker was known as “the last of the red-hot mamas.” She often sang comical and seductive songs, much like Queen Latifah’s musical number which is riddled with double entendres.
Cell Block Tango
Arguably the most famous musical number from the movie musical, Cell Block Tango allows several women on “murderess row” to tell the story of how they ended up in prison.
This is the most modern dance sequence in the film, and Rob Marshall distinguished it from the original Broadway performance by adding male dance partners to each tango.
Colleen Atwood used a 1935 Man Ray photograph as inspiration for the bondage-style costumes worn by the murderers.
At one point in the song, when the curtains open and we see a chorus of women joining in, there are several dancers on high platforms. They had no harnesses or wires, a safety issue that would hopefully be corrected if the movie had been filmed now instead of over 20 years ago.
All I Care About
Sung by Richard Gere as Billy Flynn, this is the song that introduces his character as the shady attorney that will represent Roxie in her trial.
This musical number imitates a burlesque show, a stage caricature that usually includes dancing, singing, and other various talents.
Director Rob Marshall asked Colleen Atwood to design scantily clad costumes for the female dancers, invoking the freedom and sexuality of the 1920s. Atwood added fringe to the clothing to give the women a little more cover, and she chose to put them in pinks and reds because the song is about “love.”
We Both Reached for the Gun
Billy Flynn helps Roxie by claiming that she shot Fred in self-defense. He leads the courtroom and the press with the refrain that Roxie and Fred “both reached for the gun.” This idea is almost directly lifted from the real-life trial of Beulah Annan, the woman who inspired Roxie Hart’s character.
This musical number highlights Christine Baranski’s character, Mary Sunshine. Sunshine was played by a drag queen in the original musical, but Rob Marshall and Bill Condon felt that a drag queen wouldn’t fit in a real version of 1920s Chicago. So, the character got an overhaul. Baranski, Marshall, and Condon worked together to create a savvy newsperson who is as complicit as everyone else. She chooses to spin the news a certain way because she knows that it will sell papers.
In this grand musical number, there is a large chorus of people being controlled by puppet strings. All of the performers were attached to harnesses that lifted and moved them throughout the number. The choreography incorporates the charleston, a popular dance of the 1920s.
Roxie
As Roxie gains favor with the press and the public, she becomes somewhat of a celebrity; something that she has always wanted. She dreams of what she will do when she’s free, as it almost feels like a guarantee that she won’t be hanged for her crime.
The crew only had one day to film Roxie, Roxie’s bombastic solo number about her newfound fame. While she engages with an unseen audience and dances on stage, a black sequined curtain opens to reveal several mirrors, a visual that illustrates her narcissism.
The camera operator had to learn special choreography so as to avoid appearing in any of the dozen mirrors on stage.
I Can’t do it Alone
As Roxie’s fame increases, Velma is seemingly left in the dust. The performer, who started out as a confident and brassy woman, now turns to Roxie for help in an act of desperation.
I Can’t Do It Alone is Catherine Zeta-Jones’ chance to really shine. Because she was a seasoned performer, the choreographers gave her a lot of different dance moves to learn. In this number, she essentially does the dancing for two people, claiming that she can’t do it alone, when she is in fact doing it alone.
Mister Cellophane
Assuming that all of the fantastical music numbers take place in Roxie’s mind, it’s hard to imagine that she would envision her husband Amos singing the tender and heartbreaking Mister Cellophane. Nevertheless, the character dons the make-up and clothing affiliated with the stage trope of “the tramp” and sings about being overlooked and forgotten.
John C. Reilly as Amos performs a handful of visual gags that were often performed by comedic characters on the vaudeville stage.
At this point in the story, Roxie has been using her husband’s money to pay for her legal fees. She has faked a pregnancy–something that one of the women that inspired the musical actually did to avoid hanging in the 1920s–and ignored Amos’ pleas to speak with her about their supposed unborn child.
The musical number has minimal dancing and no sets. Amos stands alone on an empty stage with only a spotlight illuminating his performance. This visual drastically contrasts with the next musical number, which is one of the most lavish in the musical.
Razzle Dazzle
As Billy Flynn commands the attention of the courtroom during Roxie’s trial, the room transforms into an extravagant circus. Wearing a sparkling striped suit, Flynn sings, “give them the old flim flam flummox, fool and fracture ‘em. How can they hear the truth above the roar?”
“Razzle Dazzle ‘Em” was reportedly Rob Marshall's mantra while making Chicago. The song embodies the idea that everything is show business, including institutions like the justice system.
Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag
The final number of the musical Nowadays begins while Roxie is still standing in the courtroom just moments after the jury found her innocent. The crowd dissipates after a new murder catches their attention, and she heads out, unsure of what’s next.
This is the final song that Roxie sings on her imaginary stage. The spotlight blinks out on her concerned face, and in the next scene, we see her singing the same song in the “real world” as an audition. After another rejection, Velma reappears to offer Roxie a chance to do a show together.
The film’s finale (Roxie and Velma’s grand performance), takes place at the famed Chicago Theater. The venue opened in 1921, and the film crew needed to bring the location back to that era. They spent a day filming the building’s exterior. Toybox, a special effects house in Toronto, replaced the theater’s modern surroundings with older architecture. Another film crew shot some old cars and extras in period clothing in front of a cobblestone street to lay in front of the building footage. It took 6 months.
As the song concludes, Roxie sums up the show in one final speaking line: “Believe us, we could not have done it without you.”
Reception/Awards
Movie musicals are not known to rake in the awards but according to IMDB, Chicago was nominated for an impressive 129 awards. It won an equally impressive 59 of them. At the 2003 Academy Awards it won Best Picture along with Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Best Art Decoration-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound.
It was the first movie musical to win Best Picture at the Oscars since 1968.
More awards of great note are Queen Latifah who won Best Actress at the BET Awards, a BAFTA for Best Sound, BAFTA for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Catherine Zeta-Jones, Critics Choice Awards (Best Picture, Best Acting Ensemble, and Best Supporting Actress For Catherine), a BMI Film Music Award to Danny Elfman, and many more.
With only a $45 Million budget Chicago grossed $306.8 Million worldwide. This was on the heels of Moulin Rouge, another popular film musical that premiered in 2001. These two films helped launch a new era of movie musicals. The genre no longer seemed dead, or nearly as much of a risk.
Fun Facts
Chicago was released in December of 2002, almost twenty-two years ago.
Originally there were 5 musical numbers from the original show that didn’t make it into the movie. This was generally because the songs didn’t work with the film’s concept. One more song, Class, sung by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mama Morton, was filmed but eventually cut from the movie. You can find it on the DVD in the special features!
When Roxie first meets her cellmates and Mama Morton, she has an interaction with a woman smoking a cigarette. This was a cameo appearance by Chita Rivera, a Broadway legend who originated the role of Velma Kelly in the 1975 production.
During its box office run, Chicago rose to number three under How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Shanghai Knights.
Chicago addresses celebrity worship and the corruption that exists in some of our most treasured and foundational institutions. It reminds the audience of the part that we all play in choosing who will be blessed by fame, and the implications of that responsibility. And somehow it manages to relay this message in the form of an incredibly entertaining show.
From start to finish, this film dazzles audiences with its creative sets, breathtaking costumes, and its loyalty to the source material. For many, it’s the most successful film adaptation of a stage musical ever made. Bob Fosse’s and Rob Marshall’s directorial styles blended beautifully together to make something that was completely unexpected: an Oscar-winning movie musical in a time when the genre was all but abandoned by major studios.
So if you haven’t watched this sequin-studded film, give it a chance! It’s sure to (razzle) dazzle you.