My friend is coming to NYC and said she wanted to see Chicago. I warned her that it's not like the movie and she asked me what to expect. I don't know the answer. Can you please let me know? The only thing that I got from other posts was that there aren't elaborate sets. Any information is appreciated.
The set is just one standard night club-esque set -- like for a big band. The costuming is also stylized.
I find the humor exists more on stage than it does on the film. There are also some differences in the music. And one plot twist that isn't in the film (unless I'm remembering incorrectly).
I don't think there is really all that much to "warn" one about.
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Well, the orchestra is on stage, and the actors perform the show in and around it. And there are no costume changes (everyone dresses in black, and there's no correlation between the character and what the performer is wearing). It's more like a concert than a traditional musical.
Are there any set pieces like the cell block tango screen? Is there any differentiation between locations? Like do you just figure out that you're at the jail or wherever? Eta is the Fosse dancing still there?
It's a stationary set and they use stools and chairs to change location.
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Your friend should be warned that the current Chicago started as the first staged reading staged by the Encores Series at City Center which was subsequently moved into a Broadway theater by a savvy producer. It is not like the movie or the original full production of the musical which opened on Broadway in 1976 with Gwen and Chita.
It's not difficult to figure out where you are, at all. When the cast is into it, it's still a pretty wonderful show.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Anyone calling this a concert...well- all Broadway shows should be as good as this "concert". The set where the orchestra is playing is supposed to represent a jury box. It is a real NY sophisticated, classy show and the one costume everyone wears cannot be topped in sexiness and is just right for the feel of this show. The lighting is extraordinary. The only thing I hated about the movie was Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine- She added nothing to the role- they should have kept the character a drag queen. I can never get enough of this show and all thanks to the GOD Bob Fosse- so ahead of his time-it is kind of scary.
Also, it depends on what this person expects from a Broadway show. I've known people who saw it after The Lion King or Phantom and went in expecting the same level of expensive spectacle, which to them is what Broadway is all about. They seemed to have zero appreciation of the wonderful score or choregraphy, they just wanted helicopter landings and flying nannies etc. Which if fine, but this show is not that.
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Thanks for all the information. I love the OBC soundtrack, I got it from the library and listened to it so much but I was never interested in seeing the show. What I'm getting from the posts are that it's kind of like the color purple, a stripped down version but easy to follow and enjoyable if you're into the songs/Fosse style.
A little heads-up: the 2002 film adaptation didn't use Bob Fosse's choreography. Though a hint of it is peppered in Rob Marshall did entirely new choreography for the film. He especially constructed Catherine Zeta-Jones' "I Can't Do It Alone" to showcase her trademark "hoofing" dance style (fast tap dancing).
And yes, as mentioned above, this Broadway revival of CHICAGO originated as a 4-night Encores! Concert at City Center in 1996 and transferred a few months later to Broadway using this concert-style staging. The success of this revival is how the long-in-gestation film adaptation eventually got made in 2002 after decades of no-go's.
There are plenty of You Tube videos that demonstrate what the show is about.
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