Soundtrack of showstoppers

There is an interesting story behind the new version of the musical Chicago, which begins its Manila stint at the Theatre of the Solaire Resort and Casino on Dec. 3. The first staging of the show was in 1975. Although now considered a landmark in Broadway history, it was at that time a commercial flop. As a result, Chicago, a modern theatrical masterpiece in every sense of the word, languished unlamented for two decades until a concert version was presented in Encores! in 1996.

You know what happens in a concert version. The actors just stand on stage and act their parts a bit and sing. There are no sets or dancers or costume changes. Nobody moves from their places. Now because Chicago was co-written, was directed and had choreography by the legendary Bob Fosse, it was mainly considered a dance show. A concert is mainly all about the songs.

But to the surprise of all concerned and of Broadway itself, the concert performance worked wonderfully. It was a huge success and later gave birth to the Tony award-winning revival of Chicago in 1996. This is the show that millions have enjoyed on Broadway, the West End and other places. This is what Manila will soon be able to watch live.

This is where the jazzy score by composer John Kander and writer and lyricist Fred Ebb comes in. If the music was good enough for a concert then they should get the credit. Kander, Ebb and Fosse also did Cabaret which was set in pre-World War II Germany. For Chicago, they came up with their version of American vaudeville music of the 1920s. It was great music for a show that, like the era, was slick, seedy and sleazy and hugely innovative. But it was also fun, sexy, singable and had lots of humor.

As anybody who loves musical theater will tell you, the best way to enjoy a show is to be familiar with the soundtrack. Why do you think audiences still flock to The Sound of Music or Beauty And The Beast after all these years? It is because they have listened to the soundtrack several times and they know the songs. This is why I am glad that the Grammy-winning soundtrack album of the hit revival of Chicago is now available and can be enjoyed on its own while preparing to watch the local run.

The album’s cast features Ann Reinking as the ambitious Roxie Hart; Bebe Neuwirth as the bitchy Velma Kelly, James Naughton as the crooked lawyer Billy Flynn, Marcia Lewis as the prison matron Mama Morton and the Academy Award-winning Joel Gray, who starred in Cabaret, as the pathetic henpecked husband Amos Hart. They perform under the baton of musical director Rob Fisher accompanied by the Coffee Club Orchestra.

Anybody who ever dreamed of dancing to a Fosse choreography will love the sexy, showstopping All That Jazz and this song is also excellent for singing along to. Reinking is superb in her Roxie song and Neuwirth as Velma is fantastic in the rousing Cell Block Tango about women and the crimes they committed for love. Naughton does the smug Razzle Dazzle lawyer song while most heartfelt is Grey’s sweet rendition of Mr. Cellophane.

I love all the songs, all of them so witty and melodic. But the one I most especially like singing along to is the Roxie-Velma duet of the finale tune titled Nowadays. It goes “…You can live the life you’re living/ you can live the life you live/ you can even marry Harry / and mess around with Ike/ and that’s good, isn’t it/ grand, isn’t it/ great, isn’t it/ swell, isn’t it/ fun…” And that sums up Chicago for you.

The Chicago soundtrack is good, grand, great, swell, fun, etc, etc. But, of course, nothing beats watching the show live with all the actors and all the dancing. The touring company visiting Manila has Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart and Terra MacLeod as Velma Kelly. Given the consistent high-quality of shows brought over by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises and Concertus Manila, you can be sure that although it has no Reinking or Neuwirth, this Chicago will be as good as the Broadway version.

Chicago will be the inaugural show at the soon to open Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino. The strictly limited season is presented by Visa and Smart Infinity in cooperation with Solaire. It opens on Dec. 3 and will run until Dec. 21. Tickets are on sale through TicketWorld (call 891-9999 or log on to ticketworld.com.ph. For details, check out www.ChicagoTheMusical.com.