Chicago: More enjoyable than the Broadway version

If there’s anything patriotic I do for this country, it’s that I never hoard dollars. Unfortunately, this becomes a problem for me during the few times I have to leave for abroad and spend green bucks.

When Startalk did an episode in Thailand last year, for example, I didn’t have a single dollar with me. I just hope to exchange my pesos to baht in the hotel where we were going to stay. (When I go to Hong Kong, I look for Pinay domestic helpers who are just too happy to exchange my pesos to Hong Kong dollars.) But to my frustration, the money changers in Phuket, Thailand where we went to did not recognize Philippine currency and would only exchange US dollars.

Luckily, on Day One of the trip, Rosanna Roces decided to dangle a thousand baht in front of my face and dared me to eat one of those fried insects sold in a dingy section of the commercial district. I promptly stuffed the insect in my mouth and ran off with her one thousand baht and bought souvenir shirts for pasalubong.

Even when I go to the US, my dollar reserves are always limited. In fact, it took me several trips to New York before I got to see my first Broadway play because tickets to those presentations are quite costly (from $40 to $80).

One time, I so desperately wanted to watch Chicago on Broadway, but I could not afford the tickets. I just settled for an old musical, Fosse (the ticket there was cheaper), which also turned out to be quite entertaining. But when I went out of the theater where Fosse was playing, I bumped into Nanette Inventor and Rico J. Puno and they just came out of Chicago and were raving about it and I felt miserable.

When I returned to the US to work on my immigration papers, I decided to stay for a few days in the Connecticut home of Bessie Badilla, who, as if she read my mind, asked me if I wanted to watch Chicago with her and the kids – her treat. Her house – although in another state – was only 45 minutes away from New York and we could watch it Sunday evening. And so off we went to see Chicago. That turned out to be the best part of my trip.

Chicago is about two women, Velma Kelly, a theater diva and Roxie Hart, a bored housewife who wants nothing more in this world than to do theater. Their paths cross when they are both locked up in prison after figuring in separate murder cases. Enter Bill Flynn, an unprincipled lawyer who has his scruples on his toes. It is he who coaches Roxie Hart on how to manipulate media until she becomes Chicago’s most celebrated female jailbird. She enjoys to the hilt the adulation her celebrity status brings and here you can see both the power and weakness of media – about how it can influence opinion, but at the same time be used by media hounds for their own personal gains.

In the Broadway musical that I saw, Karen Ziemba played Roxie Hart, while Jasmine Guy took on the part of Velma Kelly. In their musical numbers, the two women enthralled the audience with their singing and dancing. Chicago on Broadway was truly entertaining with endless showstoppers courtesy of the cast members.

But if I had a grand time watching the Broadway presentation of Chicago, I had twice (if not thrice) as much fun sitting through its still currently showing film version. Catherine Zeta-Jones now plays Velma, while the character of Roxie Hart is given life in the film by Renee Zellweger.

Those two parts are extremely difficult and taxing for these require not only acting skills, but also the ability to dance up a storm and sing complicated numbers.

Catherine and Renee are both able to deliver marvelously, I must say – especially Catherine who, as it turned out, was really a dancer before she became the big international star that she is today.

On the part of Renee, she underwent six months of intensive training in singing and dancing and her efforts really paid off because she does very well in all her production numbers. However, it is still Catherine Zeta-Jones who does better in this film and – despite the fact that she really plays a supporting role – still manages to eclipse Renee in most parts.

Richard Gere, as the lawyer who can trick you into buying even his grandmother’s old toothbrush, is wonderful in the acting, singing and dancing parts. He never really ceases to amaze audiences worldwide with his limitless talent.

Zellweger, Zeta-Jones, Gere, John C. Reilly (as the dumb and cuckolded husband of Roxie Hart) and Queen Latifah (as the corrupt jail warden, Mama) all do justice to the outstanding material of Chicago.

The film version is actually even more entertaining than the Broadway edition. For one, there’s a lot of technology that film can offer and which theater can never do. And in the film Chicago, director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon are able to do a lot of improvement over the Broadway musical, which – to begin with – is already spectacular by itself.

Just a tip to those watching the movie Chicago: Make sure you watch it in those theaters with excellent audio. Never mind if you have to pay more. It’s going to be worth it anyway.

And yes, you don’t have to go to Broadway to enjoy this musical (I’m not even sure if it’s still playing there). Besides, who wants to go to America at this point of history?

You better believe me, the film version is far more enjoyable than the Broadway version. Maybe you can just enjoy this musical in local theaters and in the process help conserve our dollar reserves.