November 14 marks three decades since the revival of Chicago sizzled onto the Broadway stage. Producer Barry Weissler has been there from the very beginning. So how is he feeling with the show’s milestone anniversary just days away?
“It really hasn’t sunk in”, Weissler admits. “From year 1 to year 30, it’s day to day work. And then the night comes – as it did on the 10th, the 15th, the 20th and the 25th, and we get into the weeds. You want to get it right. You want a wonderful celebration. By the same token – you’ve already reached a certain pinnacle. But that night, you want it to be special. So, we’re working very hard to bring people and elements to the 30th that make it feel different from previous anniversaries.”
Created by musical theater masterminds Bob Fosse, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago is a deliciously dark tale of “murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery” …you know, “all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”
The original 1975 Broadway production ran for a little over two years. But it was Barry and his wife and producing partner, Fran Weissler, who helped give Chicago a second life and make history in the process. In the spring of 1996, the Weisslers attended a concert staging of the musical at New York City Center Encores!, starring Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton and Joel Grey. Directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Reinking “in the style of Bob Fosse”, the production convinced the couple that Chicago deserved another shot on Broadway.
“When Fran and I saw the Saturday afternoon performance at Encores!, with the band onstage and the vaudeville pushed to the forefront, everything made sense,” Barry recalls. “It was so topical, so damn entertaining. That alone moved Fran and me.”
But it was more than just the “razzle-dazzle” that caught their attention.
“The themes, the plot, the characters – it’s still relevant. In fact, it’s more relevant today than it was 30 years ago!”
Today, Chicago calls Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre home. But did you know the musical has had three Broadway addresses during its record-breaking revival run? Finding a theater for the production wasn’t exactly easy. Barry recalls that many in the industry were skeptical about the show’s commercial prospects.
“I could only get the Richard Rodgers for 10 weeks,” he says, referring to the theater’s booked engagement of the Kander and Ebb musical Steel Pier in the spring of 1997. “Everyone laughed and thought Chicago would be gone in a couple of months.”
Three decades later, who’s laughing now? After opening at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, Chicago moved to the Shubert before settling into its current home at the Ambassador, where it reigns as the longest-running musical currently playing on Broadway.
With 30 years on the Great White Way and countless productions around the world, the Chicago family has grown far and wide.
One actress who knows the Chicago experience inside and out is Broadway veteran Charlotte d’Amboise, who first stepped into Roxie Hart’s shoes with the show’s original national tour in 1999. According to d’Amboise, she had her sights set on Roxie from the very beginning, even when the creative team had other plans.
“I saw the Encores! production, and I went, ‘Oh my God, I have to do this!’ I fell in love with Roxie,” she recalls.
“But when they were holding auditions, they wouldn’t see me for Roxie. They only wanted to see me for Velma.”
So Charlotte took matters into her own “jazz hands.”
“I learned all the Roxie material and walked in pretending that’s who they wanted to see me for. I literally lied! They were like, ‘Fine, do Roxie.’ And of course, I was prepared. I did all the material and pretty much got hired.”
Over the past three decades, d’Amboise has returned to the role of Roxie time and again. While the character’s signature songs and dance numbers remain thrilling, a more intimate moment in Act One has become her favorite part of the show. “Roxie’s monologue. It used to terrify me because early on I didn’t know how to play it,” she admits. “I felt so vulnerable, standing onstage by myself and talking to the audience. I didn’t know who she was.”
She continues, “Everything else – the singing and dancing – I loved because I could just do it. But with the Roxie monologue, you have to be present. You have to be vulnerable. You have to be connected. You have to step out of yourself and be THAT person.”
As for the upcoming 30th-anniversary celebration on Monday, November 16, d’Amboise will be among those in attendance. The evening promises to be a star-studded affair, but producer Barry Weissler is keeping some of its biggest surprises under wraps. He has shared that the special performance will benefit the Entertainment Community Fund and feature appearances by original company members Tony winners Bebe Neuwirth and James Naughton, as well as Chicago alumni Robyn Hurder, Whitney Leavitt, Ariana Madix, Alex Newell and Reece Weaver.
Barry isn’t revealing all his tricks for the anniversary festivities, but he is already dreaming up what might be next for the musical.
“I would like to try an immersive production,” he reveals. “I have designs. I have thoughts as to how it should be done.”
An immersive Chicago? To that, we say: “Whoopee! Hotcha! Jazz!”
