All That Jazz

February 15, 2018

Mordden's (When Broadway Went to Hollywood) latest is not necessarily about the musical Chicago; instead, it is a rambling history of musical theater and an homage to Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the 1975 production. Opening chapters read like a dissertation on the history of Chicago--the city--while the rest of the book reflects a lengthy op-ed featuring the author's criticisms of the original 1926 play by Maurine Watkins as well as its film iterations: a 1927 silent film produced by Cecil B. DeMille; the 1942 adaptation starring Ginger Rogers; and the 2005 blockbuster starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger. The lone chapter devoted to the musical itself critiques the score by Fosse and Fred Ebb. Mordden clearly prefers the 1975 show to the current revival, which has been on Broadway since 1996, calling it "middle-class common knowledge." Tangents on Hollywood detract from the narrative, and Mordden's commentary on the attractiveness of women in show business is cringeworthy. VERDICT Theatergoers may be interested in the competition between Chicago and A Chorus Line for Tony Awards in the late 1970s, but fans of "Cell Block Tango" and other songs should instead replay scores of the stage or film adaptations.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
An authoritative history of the "entire Chicago saga--a play, a silent film, a talkie, and only then the musical"--and beyond.Does anyone know more about the Broadway musical than the prolific Mordden (When Broadway Went to Hollywood, 2016, etc.)? Now, instead of exploring another aspect of the genre's history, the author focuses on the many iterations of one musical, the "fleet and ruthless" Chicago, a story of two women awaiting trial in a Chicago jail for murdering men. Like other satirical musicals, Chicago is "silly, loony, irreverent, and sexy, in the Offenbach tradition." Mordden sees the "too easily underestimated show" as dealing with two of America's "great myths," the city itself and the 1920s. After opening chapters provide useful summaries of the city's history, the author turns to Maurine Watkins, a Tribune reporter, and her 1926 play Chicago, which drew upon a pair of murder trials she reported on. Working in the "crook play-cum-courtroom drama" tradition, she "reinvents genre" in her play about the nature of power in America. Next came the silent movie version in 1927, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Mating wicked doings with farce, his movie was the "tale of a troubled marriage. Of a decent and loving guy married to a user." The second movie version, Roxie Hart (1942), directed by William A. Wellman and starring Ginger Rogers, was closer to the play than DeMille's version. Mordden takes two chapters to discuss the brilliant 1975 Bob Fosse choreographed version of Chicago, starring Gwen Verdon, with its "razzamatazz" music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. This multiple Tony winner, writes the author, was the "consummation of the musical satire." Choreographer/director Rob Marshall won the Academy Award as Best Director for his 2002 Chicago, which captured Best Picture, one of few musicals ever to do so.A theater history told with candor--critics Andrew Sarris and Clive Barnes are "idiots"--wit, and expertise. A distinguished investigation into the art form intellectuals scorn as "cotton candy."

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