I must agree that she may not be as bad as some people predict.
I'm not a huge fan of her film work, but she's got that dim, pretty thing going on -- and with a squeaky voice to boot. I think that if they needed to go "Hollywood," she was a reasonable choice.
She's got to be better than Karen Ziemba in the role. I usually really like Karen, but her Roxie was not good.
Of course, the jury is still out on Melanie. I just don't think that she was a bad choice, initially.
Itty Bitty Geisha?
Toyland?
Gypsy Pasadoble?
Just a few popular favorites...