History Theatre / Chicago

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** Velma kills her sister and husband when she finds them in bed together.

''Chicago'', a musical originally choreographed, directed and co-written by the legendary Creator/BobFosse in 1975, is the story of Roxie Hart, a wannabe cabaret star in 1920s Chicago. She sleeps around unknown to her husband, Amos, but has a falling-out with one of her lovers, shoots him and is arrested for murder. In prison, she develops a rivalry with the star Velma Kelly, who killed her own husband and sister.

* ContraltoOfDanger: Both Velma and Mama qualify as this.

* WideEyedIdealist: If what Mama Morton says about her is true, Hunyak is this. [[GenreBlind It doesn't end well for her]].

A biting satire of celebrity trials, the press and show business in general, ''Chicago'' had an extremely successful Broadway revival in 1996 that is still running to this day. From there, it was made into [[Film/{{Chicago}} a movie in 2002]]. The Broadway productions regularly star big names -- the original boasted Chita Rivera as Velma and Creator/JerryOrbach as Billy Flynn; the revival starred Creator/BebeNeuwirth as Velma (earning her her second Tony after winning one for another Fosse production ''Theatre/SweetCharity'') and Joel Grey as Amos, and since then has had tons of StuntCasting.

* CourtroomAntic: All of Billy Flynn's role. Lampshaded with "Razzle Dazzle".

%%* CrapsackWorld

* MythologyGag: Velma [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9_AvEQL9As makes her entrance in the 1996 revival]] in the exact same way [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUTEhEPONgc as the snake did]] in ''Literature/TheLittlePrince''. She really is a snake in the grass!

Based on the 1924 nonmusical play ''Chicago'' by Maurine Dallas Watkins, which was in turn based on actual murder cases. It was adapted twice for the screen, first as a silent film in 1927, then in 1941 as ''Roxie Hart'' starring Ginger Rogers. Modern productions tend to go under the title ''Play Ball'', the play's original subtitle, to avoid confusion with the musical.

* CrapsackWorld

* {{Fanservice}}: Loads of it.

* GirlsBehindBars: Murderess Row

* InstitutionalApparel

** Hunyak, the only wrongly convicted prisoner, and the only one to be executed. "Honyock" is an ethnic slur that was popular in America from the 1880s through the 1950s. It is derived from a Hungarian word meaning (among other things) "simple minded" and "loser." Mostly directed at Central-Eastern Europeans. Her real name, Katalin, means "pure".

* TheTrickster: Roxie and Billy Flynn.

* TheVamp: Most of the female characters.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: [[spoiler: Mary Sunshine.]]

* RevengeBallad: "Cell Block Tango" is the combined Revenge Ballad for the "Six Married Murderesses of the Cook County Jail", who all (but one) murdered their husbands or lovers and explain how and why here.

* DownerEnding: In the original musical, no-one in the audience gets what they want. Anyone supporting Roxie or Velma will be disappointed that they stay small-time. Anyone wanting them sent down, will be sad they got off. Amos is still left with nothing, and the only person who was innocent is the one who dies. The two most unsympathetic characters, Mama and Billy, get away scot free.

* GunStruggle: The entire plot involves Roxie Hart and her SmugSnake lawyer Billy Flynn trying to convince the jury that Roxy's shooting of her lover Fred Casley was this rather than murder. There is even a brief scene were such a struggle is recreated in court.

** "All I Care About Is Love" for Billy. Played with in that most- if not all- of what he professes about himself in it is BlatantLies.

** Played straight with Mama Morton when she works on behalf of her prisoner the Hunyak, translating for her lawyer and insisting on her innocence. It's [[spoiler:not enough to save her,]] but its the only time we see Mama doing something without benefits.

* DoesNotSpeakCommon: Hunyak doesn't speak English, apart from the statement of "not guilty" and occasional mention of "Uncle Sam". Mama can interpret for her lawyer, but the lawyer is too apathetic to put up a good case, leaving Hunyak completely unable to speak on her own behalf. Her storyline -- being completely innocent, confused as to why she finds herself among the Six Merry Murderesses, and confident that she will receive justice under the American system -- is relegated to a BilingualBonus, as it's expressed entirely in Hungarian.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Roxie. Velma, too, to a less obtrusive extent.
* IWantSong: "Roxie"