Chicago: The Musical

Like many people, I discovered Chicago through the 2002 film.

Directed by Rob Marshall, the film brought the world of Chicago to the big screen with Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, Richard Gere as Billy Flynn and John C. Reilly as Amos Hart.

It was glamorous, dark, funny and completely theatrical, with incredible music and acting.

And it wasn't only successful with audiences. At the 2003 Academy Awards, Chicago won Best Picture and five other Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta-Jones.

But what stayed with me about the film was the idea that fame can change the way people see the truth, and that a murder can become a headline.

The story takes us back to 1920s Chicago, where Roxie Hart finds herself in prison after murdering the man with whom she has been having an affair. There she meets Velma Kelly, a performer who is also accused of murder.

Instead of simply trying to prove their innocence, both women discover something much more powerful: attention.

With the help of lawyer Billy Flynn, Roxie learns that a good story can be more valuable than the truth.

A murder becomes a newspaper story.
A criminal becomes a celebrity.
And suddenly everyone wants to know her name.

Thinking about Chicago today, I can't help noticing how incredibly modern that idea feels. It's holding up a mirror to us and our flaws.

Chicago wasn't born in Hollywood.

The musical was created by John Kander, Fred Ebb and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse, and its combination of music, choreography, sexuality and satire has become one of the defining styles of American musical theatre.

And Chicago is particularly fascinating because the theatrical style of its 1996 Broadway revival is so deliberately stripped back. There's nowhere to hide. The focus is on the performers, the music, the movement, the attitude and, of course, that unmistakable Fosse-inspired choreography. Rather than relying on elaborate sets or spectacle, this staging puts the performers themselves at the centre of the experience.

Even if you've never seen the stage musical, chances are you already know some of its songs: “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango,” and “Razzle Dazzle.”

Chicago feels almost like a show within a show. Everyone is performing. Roxie is performing for the newspapers, Billy Flynn is performing for his clients, the media is performing for the public, and the public is more than happy to watch. Fame, crime, justice and celebrity all become part of one big performance, where the line between reality and entertainment becomes increasingly blurred.

So where can we see it in February 2027?

If you're going to be in London in February 2027, there's a particularly interesting opportunity.

The new UK tour of Chicago begins at New Wimbledon Theatre in south-west London from 5–13 February 2027, before moving to Theatre Royal Plymouth from 16–20 February and Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff from 22–27 February.

I really want to see the murder, the music and all that jazz come alive in 2027!

Interesting Chicago Facts

1. Before it became a musical, Chicago was a 1926 stage play written by journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins, inspired by real murder cases she covered in Chicago courts.

2. The play was based on two real women, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, whose sensational murder trials helped inspire the characters of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly.

3. The story was first adapted into a silent film in 1927, long before the famous Broadway musical existed.

4. A second film adaptation, Roxie Hart (1942), starred Ginger Rogers, although it toned down the darker elements of the original story.

5. Chicago finally arrived on Broadway as a musical in 1975, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, and choreography and direction by Fosse.

6. The original production starred Broadway icons Gwen Verdon as Roxie and Chita Rivera as Velma.

7. The original production received 11 Tony nominations in 1976 but won none. It was the 1996 Broadway revival that transformed Chicago into a worldwide phenomenon.

8. The 2002 film adaptation starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

9. Today, Chicago's 1996 revival holds the record as the longest-running American musical production in Broadway history, showing that its sharp satire of fame, media and celebrity is just as relevant now as it was a century ago.