Chicago the Musical Appreciation Thread- Page 97
Chicago the Musical Appreciation Thread
#2400Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/12/22 at 11:28pm
It would be really great to see a new Velma or Roxie and have someone give it a fresh take. I worry that AFW will replace Bianca in March.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#2401Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/13/22 at 6:37pm
The cast and crew of "Chicago" with their "interesting" views on tonight's Super Bowl game. https://fb.watch/b9jV5nYMdb/
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
#2402Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/13/22 at 8:07pm
The best Velma Kelly I've never had a chance to see ---Pia Douwes. She played Velma Kelly on Broadway in 2004. https://youtu.be/RcyrFTUS5uQ
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
Pine-Sol Scented Air
Swing Joined: 8/13/19
#2403Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/14/22 at 7:59pm
Is Charlotte D'Amboise returning to Velma, or did Amra take it over permanently?
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#2404Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/14/22 at 8:31pm
EricMontreal22 said: "Ha, I was gonna say. But he did suffer a heart attack while working on Chicago right? Or wait was that Pippin? "
PIPPIN opened on Broadway in 1972. He suffered his first heart attack while CHICAGO was in rehearsals in 1975.
Bob Fosse died of fatal heart attack in September 1987. He was in Washington DC overlooking the national tour of his 1986 Broadway revival of SWEET CHARITY. He collapsed on the street while walking with Gwen Verdon.
pattilupony
Chorus Member Joined: 10/27/21
#2405Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/14/22 at 8:35pm
Pine-Sol Scented Air said: "Is Charlotte D'Amboise returning to Velma, or did Amra take it over permanently?"
Officially, Charlotte D'Amboise is playing Roxie right now, and Bianca Marroquin is Velma. Charlotte has a hamstring injury so Bianca has been covering Roxie and Amra covering Velma. I haven't heard anything about Charlotte pulling out permanently, and her poster is still outside the theatre and name in the playbill.
#2406Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/15/22 at 9:43am
Thanks, pattilupony. That's terrible for Charlotte. Selfishly, I was really hoping to see her and Bianca share the stage, it's too bad we're back to the usual. (AFW is a trooper, but seriously Barry and Fran, you can only pull that cord so many times in case of emergency.)
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
pattilupony
Chorus Member Joined: 10/27/21
#2407Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/15/22 at 10:49am
Yeah, I think it might be time for Amra to call it a day on this one. Bianca leaves the show mid March and knowing her relationship with the show I won't be surprised to see her become the new go-to Velma when they need a veteran to hold down the fort.
#2408Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/15/22 at 12:15pm
Charlotte has been back though. Really hoping for a brand new Velma after Bianca leaves.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#2409Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/15/22 at 11:50pm
I would love to see Leigh Zimmerman make a return as Velma.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#2410Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/16/22 at 6:50pm
I was just thinking that Charlotte would make a great Velma, if she were so inclined.
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#2411Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/16/22 at 7:28pm
jonartdesigns said: "I was just thinking that Charlotte would make a great Velma, if she were so inclined."
Charlotte has said in an interview many many years ago she’s not interested in ever playing Velma due to the physical dancing demands the role requires. She has said just sitting there on stage watching the actresses perform “I Can’t Do it Alone” exhausts her. She’s fine continuing to play Roxie.
#2412Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/17/22 at 9:30am
Do we know the oldest Velma there's ever been? If only Charlotte could've been convinced like 10-15 years ago to do Velma, that would've been awesome. Now, she's 57 so I can't imagine she could do that role. Not because she couldn't, but a dancer's body sadly only has a certain lifespan.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
jonartdesigns
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/04
#2413Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/17/22 at 10:14am
Amra is the oldest Velma, at 61.
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#2414Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/17/22 at 11:24am
I’m more than sure Charlotte CAN dance Velma. She just chooses not to. This is in reference to dancing Velma 8 times a week. THAT she has zero interest in doing. Also of note, Chita Rivera was 60 to 65 (between London, Broadway, and tour) when she played Aurora in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.
#2415Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/17/22 at 12:17pm
Misspoke a bit. Meant would when I said could. I'm merely saying she may not want to because she knows her body and what 8 times a week in that role might do to it.
(To be fair, Chita is Chita, I wouldn't use her as a point of comparison.)
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
#2416Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/17/22 at 10:50pm
Christine Cornish (one of the Velma Kelly understudies) finally had a chance to play Velma Kelly tonight...per Michael Scirrotto's Instagram.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
Updated On: 2/17/22 at 10:50 PM
#2417Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/20/22 at 7:23am
https://youtu.be/DmBv5gjsaZ4 Sandy Duncan is very funny in this all-too-brief video clip as Roxie Hart. Who had the pleasure of seeing her perform in 2000?
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
Updated On: 2/20/22 at 07:23 AM
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#2418Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/20/22 at 10:57am
I saw her twice. Simply magical. That era when CHICAGO was vibrant, still fresh, and still exciting and audiences were excited with each cast cast AND the original ensemble was still intact and making each performance fresh as they themselves were thrilled with the level of talent they were working with (they admitted to this). When Ute Lemper replaced Bebe Neuwirth, she took Velma to another level of insanity. It was impossible to sit there without your jaw dropped. Damn CHICAGO was on fire back then.
The late 1990s/early 2000s were electric for CHICAGO both on Broadway and on tour. I only saw CHICAGO at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and the Shubert Theatre (my excitement had since waned by the time it moved to the Ambassador Theatre), and I quickly lost count how many times I sat with others outside for those glorious $20 front row Rush tickets. Around 7am someone would come out and have those first in line write their names on a list and then given a wristband so you could leave and enjoy the morning then return around 9:45am and be put in line in your assigned spot. No cutting lines. No waiting in frigid cold. It was very organized back then. At that time, Premium Seating was a few years away and RENT and CHICAGO were the only shows doing this $20 front row Rush offer.
#2419Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/24/22 at 9:58pm
Rachel Chase played Roxie Hart tonite and will play the role on Friday night (2 / 25) as well. Dylis Croman might be making a return to the Ambassador. In her latest Facebook post, she ends it with " let’s just say, NYC might be calling my heart back to play."
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#2420Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/24/22 at 10:29pm
Sad to see how quickly CHICAGO went from being exciting for a moment when it returned to falling back to their stock players. So great it’s glorious period ran for several years and not just a couple. CHICAGO needs that extra razzle dazzle with celebrities carrying the show. It’s not just about talented performers. There needs to be more on that stage than just brilliant talent.
#2421Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/25/22 at 6:53am
The fact that "Chicago" has seasoned and talented artists is the reason why some get asked to return for a while, from time to time. Their "reemergence" also gives them an opportunity to display their wonderful talent.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#2422Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/25/22 at 8:19am
Patti LuPone FANatic said: "The fact that "Chicago" has seasoned and talented artists is the reason why some get asked to return for a while, from time to time. Their "reemergence" also gives them an opportunity to display their wonderful talent."
And why seats are empty. CHICAGO popularized stunt casting. That’s what kept CHICAGO exciting in the late 90s/early 2000s. The Weisslers are known for this AND it was what kept bringing back people to see the show countless times, including me. Back then, everyone had to see each new cast change, especially the Roxies and Velmas - the 2 principals. Now you’re basically seeing an insanely talented repertory cast. On Broadway. Um, no thank you.
#2423Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/25/22 at 9:05am
I'm guessing Charlotte is going to be leaving the show then? With just 19 shows on Broadway this month, Chicago can't capitalize on the lack of options. I think it's time for the producers to consider closing it up.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
pattilupony
Chorus Member Joined: 10/27/21
#2424Chicago The Musical Appreciation Thread
Posted: 2/25/22 at 2:29pm
ACL2006 said: "I'm guessing Charlotte is going to be leaving the show then? With just 19 shows on Broadway this month, Chicago can't capitalize on the lack of options. I think it's time for the producers to consider closing it up."
Charlotte posted on her instagram yesterday that she returns to Chicago on Monday. But not sure for how long?
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