Chicago When I first watched Chicago at the movie theater, I was not fully satisfied. I wanted more, so I went back to get some and watched it six more times with different friends and family members! Last summer during a visit to my native Mexico City, I had the opportunity to watch drag queens perform several numbers from the movie-musical. They did an amazing job, without surpassing the outstanding performances of the actors in the film. Last year, I visited NYC for the first time and indulged in the rows of the Ambassador theatre experiencing Chicago, the Broadway musical, and because I had seen the movie many times before, I knew all the songs and dances by heart. I loved it, but it was actually the movie that influenced me to become a “Chicago fan.” The movie is based on the 1996 Chicago revival of the original musical version of 1975. It was thrilling knowing that the making of the musical into a mainstream production would increase its accessibility and widen its distribution into all the corners of the world; now there is no excuse for people not to experience Chicago, and though not everyone can go to Broadway to see it, just about anyone can indulge themselves in this dazzling movie in the comfort of their homes. In addition to a fantasy world of singing, dancing and Vaudeville, the film also provides a narrative that is explicitly presented through Roxie’s point of view, creating a counter human side to Roxie’s fantasy world so that the audience can easily identify and engage. Chicago is a must see film for anyone who likes to spoil themselves with an outstanding award-winning musical composed of a catchy plot, truly superb acting, commendable direction, and a clever soundtrack. Bob Fosse’s dazzling adaptation of the plot is a key element that contributed greatly in making Chicago achieve the success it did. Set in the 1920’s, Chicago is based in the real-life murders trials of two women who were eventually exonerated of their alleged crimes. The film’s main characters are Roxie Hart, a housewife who often fantasizes about becoming a Vaudeville star, and Velma Kelly, a vaudeville queen b who desires far more fame than she already has. They both find themselves in the Cook County Jail on “murderesses row”. Crime and short-lived fame are the central themes of this movie. Murder and lies are sensationalized and glorified. It is no surprise that p... ... middle of paper ... ...Other songs may not only introduce characters, but also explain situations as they advance the narrative. Take for example Mama Morton’s “When You’re Good To Mama,” this number not only introduces Mama, but it also exposes the way in which things are run in the Cook County Jail, where Roxie and Velma are inmates. The song “We Both Reached for The Gun” is imperative to the musical as it tells Roxie’s story from Billy Flynn’s perspective, which ultimately attains her discharge from jail. Chicago is packed with great energizing songs that always seem to reach several climaxes as they build momentum towards a big musical orgasm, as is the case with the last song of the film, “Nowadays”, where Roxie and Velma perform together on stage for the first time. Regardless of their function, all the songs in the soundtrack have a certain finesse that makes the movie a real auditory delight. In conclusion, everyone who enjoys the magic of Broadway and the fantasy world of Hollywood must watch Chicago. Although it is at most difficult to translate a stage musical to an Award-winning film, the vision of director was carefully carried making Chicago a very enjoyable film for the whole family.
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
Kennedy, Mark. “Broadway Musical ‘Chicago’ to Enter History Books”. The Denver Post. 20 Dec. 2012.
She is heartwarming as a soft gentle breeze; she soothes your soul like Mama’s chicken noodle soup. In 1837, she became a city; Chicago is her name, the third largest city in the United States. Chicago rests on 237 square miles of land along the border of Lake Michigan. If you are searching for adventure, cultural events, and festivals Chicago is the place to be. Nicknamed the Windy City, the city with big Shoulders the late singer Frank Sinatra best describes Chicago in one of his songs, as his kind of town. Chicago’s summers are magnificent on a hot sultry summer night nothing is better than walking along 15 miles of beaches, the lakefront, or strolling thru Grant Park, pausing in front of Buckingham fountain while the cool breeze from the lake and the mist from the lighted fountain can cool the body off.
Chicago is an American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she reported on. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal." Fred Ebb explains: “So I made it [Chicago] a vaudeville based on the idea that the characters were performers. Every musical moment in the show was loosely modeled on someone else: Roxie was Helen Morgan, Velma was Texas Guinan, Billy Flynn was Ted Lewis, Mama Morton was Sophie Tucker,” (Kander, Ebb, and Lawrence 127). Velma indeed is a reincarnation of Texas Guinan who “acted as hostess…for the entertainment…she was also a born press agent, constantly inventing stories and promoting herself,” (Slide 218). Roxie’s “Funny Honey” Amos is eerily reminiscent of Helen Morgan’s “Bill” from Kern and Hammerstein’s 1927 classic Showboat. Amos, too, in his “Mr. Cellophane” number, imitates Ziegfeld Follies star Bert Williams’ iconic hit “Nobody” “right down to Williams’ famous costume of oversized clothes and white gloves,” (Miller).
Growing up on the south side of Chicago in the roughest neighborhood in the city I learned a lot from others and just observing my surroundings. At times, I would always think to myself my situation could always be worse than it was, and that there is always someone who is doing worst off than me. But my situation turned from being in a bad position to being in a position where my mother would come to lose her mother and our home that we had been living in, all in the same year. After losing her mother and bother my mom lost herself in her emotions and shut down on everyone and with that came the loss of a home for me and my siblings and her job. Shortly after my mom began to go back to church and so did we. It was the first time in a log time that we had attended church and it played a big part in a learning experience for me and my siblings. Through the days that came to pass going to church sparked a desire of wanting to help others who had or are struggling to get by. My mentor, Pastor, and teacher deserves appreciation for helping my mother through a hard time and keeping me and my siblings active in a positive manor.
There have been many weird things happening in Illinois in the past 100 years. There has been a whole bunch of mysterious fires and weird things happening at churches. There has been many unexplained Phenomena like weeping statues or weird poltergeist. Although there is a lot more phenomenas, there are also been some local legends like The Demon Butcher and The Axeman. Weird and creepy, there are a lot more local legends and phenomenas that i'm not going to explain.
For this assignment, I chose to view the live performance of, Disgraced and the filmed production of, Chicago. Disgraced, was about a man in New York of Pakistan descent who had disowned his religion of Islam. He seemed to be living the American Dream, a married working lawyer living in New York. However, his past Islamic beliefs catch up with him, turning his life to a downwards spiral. He ends up losing everything he worked so hard to achieve. Chicago follows the life of a young girl who has moved to Chicago in search of fame. She is promised fame from her lover, but once she found out he was lying she kills him. She’s sentenced to death, and when she arrives to jail she finds a lawyer who helps exonerate her. After viewing Disgraced and
Even though prohibition was the law of the land few people abided by it. This new trend of disobedience is reflected in 1920s theatre with bootlegging characters and actors mixing and drinking alcohol on stage. This behavior is also depicted throughout the musical Chicago. Perhaps Billy Flynn said it best just before Roxie Hart’s trial began, “This trial… the whole world… it’s all… show business.” (Chicago).
The hit musical "Singin' in the Rain" may possibly be one of if not the greatest musicals of all time. With it's tale of the film world of the mid 1920's and its creative underlining love story between Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), it provokes the interest of someone who would not generally be attracted to a musical. It is a classic masterpiece that set the standards that musical films of today will be judged by. It is a classic performance by the great Gene Kelly and displays outstanding performances by Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. As well as starring in this brilliant movie, Gene Kelly teams up with Stanley Donen to make their mark in film history.
Wells, E A. (2011) West Side Story Cultural Perspectives on an American musical. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Throughout Chicago’s long and vibrant history, hundreds of movies, plays, and musicals have been set in this great city. These various theatrical art forms try and portray what the city of Chicago is like however how accurate these portrayals are is open for debate. The 1959 movie Some Like It Hot, directed by Billy Wilder, is one such movie that attempts to depict what life in 1929 gangster-ridden Chicago is like. In this classic, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, two struggling musicians in Chicago witness “Spats” Colombo’s gang murder fellow gangster “Toothpick” Charlie and the members of his gang. Director Billy Wilder did actually use Chicago’s own history in this scene, pulling his inspiration for this scene from the 1929 Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. Using this real historical event, the movie does a better job at portraying aspects of the gangster era in Chicago accurately.
... my sister and I returned to New York. Once again we made the trek to the Nederlander. We took our seats and relished the memories. While the cast was different, the affect was similar. It opened our eyes and renewed our appreciation for those that are different than us. I feel in love with it all over again. Even though I had seen the show in Indianapolis and Chicago, there was something about sitting in that theater that made it special.
I greatly enjoyed this film for it being a musical and I as someone who isn’t particulary fond of musicals says a lot about the quality of the film.
In this play, we have two different settings, but with similarities. Nonetheless, they both take place in a middle-class neighborhood in Chicago of Clybourne Park, hence the name. In the first act, the setting
thesis of how the musical brought our inner child out to realize our true struggles in life.