Chicago2
Transcript of Chicago2
For next time (4/19): View Annie Hall
Monday, April 12, 2010
2002
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The musical Chicago is based on a play of the same name by reporter
Maurine Dallas Watkins (July 27, 1896 - August 10, 1969), who had been assigned to cover the 1924 trials of murderesses Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune.
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The original 1975 Broadway production ran for a total of 936 performances. Bob Fosse choreographed the original production, and his style is strongly identified with the show.
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Innovative and highly stylized choreographer.
He utilized the idea of subtext and gave his dancers something to think about during their numbers. He also began the trend of allowing lighting to influence his work and direct an audiencesʼ attention to certain things.
Bob Fosse (June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was a musical theater choreographer and director, and a film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction, and received the Academy Award for Best Director in 1972 for Cabaret.
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Chicago's 1996 Broadway revival holds the record for the longest-running musical revival (now approaching 6,000 performances)
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“The time to sing is when your emotional level is too high to just speak anymore, and the time to dance is when your emotions are just too strong to only sing about how you feel.”
Bob Fosse:
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Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
-----Essentially an American evolution from classic opera
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The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters.
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Many of the first “talkies” were musicals:
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In the ’30’s and ’40’s and early ’50’s musicals were at their height
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In the late ’50’s & ’60’s movie musical were almost exclusively adaptations from the theatre
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Contemporary music styles of the Baby-Boomer generation and beyond did not translate
particularly well to musical theatre and even worse to film musicals.
In addition, the traditional format of “book” musicals was a difficult challenge in the 70’s and
’80’s.
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Emerging potential.......1996
Evita
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The first film musical success in the new millenium was:
2001
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The success of Moulin Rouge ushered in Chicago in 2002.
......explores the themes of celebrity and scandal in Jazz age Chicago. Directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall, (former collaborator of Sam Mendez)and adapted for film by screenwriter Bill Condon, Chicago won six Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture. The film was the first musical film to win the Best Picture Oscar since Oliver! (1968).
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Why did it work?
It moved......strong pacing.
It utilized exceptional transitions.
Rather than engaging the traditional device of the book musical it took a different ploy:
It established and maintained a strong metaphor that drove the characters and story line.
--All the musical numbers evolved from Roxie’s imagination...establishing a
contrast to the reality of the situation.
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From Roxy’s perspective-
Gives us a lot of
information-
Poses a lot of
questions-
What does Roxy want?
Opening:
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Strong Transitions:
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The MacGuffin
.....a plot device that grabs our attention and
drives the action
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The only moral character in the film?Monday, April 12, 2010
Legend: Chita Rivera
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Mama TransitionMore envy for Velma
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Murderer’s Row........
Katalin Hulinski...the Hungarian murderess
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Changes in Roxie
Katalin’s Transitions
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Summation
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The Verdict
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'celebrity'
Consider Chicago as as satirical treatment of the following themes. Share your
thoughts
'scandal'
'corruption'
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