Liza Minnelli's Roxie Hart & Verdon&Reinking's Too

I have seen the dances and movements change for the part of Roxie in CHICAGO a few times.

I saw Gwen Verdon twice and thought she was delightful but confess I was more taken with my socks being blown away by Chita Rivera as Velma.

Liza Minnelli was magical as Roxie Hart, but then, Liza used to always be magical to me and this was a very intoxicating time of my youth in Manhattan. I don't remember well what the choreography differences were for Liza, filling in for Gwen Verdon. I do remember her good humored hesitation prior to the cartwheel in Hot Honey Rag.

When Ann Reinking joined the cast as Roxie, the principal cast younged down (Lenora Nemetz as Velma, Alaina Reed as Mama Morton), with the exception of Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn. I had followed Ann Reinking's career closely and seen her in Pippin, Goodtime Charlie, Over Here and she was a mesmerizing Cassie in A Chorus Line. I saw her Roxie twice and recall that the ROXIE number now had hands clapping from the stagefloor and "dancing" along as she pranced. Very Ann Miller MGM musical I thought at the time.

For anyone who ACTUALLY SAW Liza and Melanie Griffith, are there similarities in their Roxies?

Were Liza's movements as Roxie altered from those of Gwen Verdon?

Thanks:)

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Updated On: 8/4/03 at 03:51 PM

To TEACHEROFTHEATRE

Liza Minnelli learned the part in about 6-7 days. Liza, being an amazingly dedicated performer, as well as ballet trained and Fosse protige, learned all the choreography for the whole show.

Also Liza had a few performances where she got to sing "I Am My Own Best Friend" by herself because they were all debating whether it should still be a duet, or just Roxie, so Liza said she would do it cuz she believed that it should be Roxie's solo as well

I also have a taped recording from the Sammy and Friends Show, that has Liza and Chita talking with Sammy, and how they went about choosing Liza to fill in for Gwen. Liza, Sammy, Kander and Ebb were eating at a restaurant, and Kander and Ebb were nervous because Chicago had just opened and Gwen was going to need two months off for her throat surgery and they were afriad the show might flop if they didn't have star quality to initally get people to go. Liza out of nowhere said, "I'll do it." She didn't know why she said it but the two looked at her and said, "That's a great idea."

Liza as Roxie is an awesome moment in theatre history. 7 DAYS to learn the songs, blocking and Fosse moves, makes LIZA one of the best performers of her time.

Check out my page on Liza's Musical and Theatre career.
http://www.anglefire.com/musicals/lizaminnelli/Musicals.html

to read further into Liza as Roxie, check out my webpage on Liza in CHICAGO
LIZA as ROXIE

I would have loved to see Liza on Broadway back in the day.

I would love nothing more than for Liza to come back to Broadway and just blow everyone away...especially the one's who laugh at her singing voice.

Liza would be a divine MAME.

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Agree Liza would be a great Mame but has she the stamina for 8 shows a week anymore?

Liza would just plain kick ass! lol.

I agree sondheimfreak, but it's Anne's performance visual wise that knocks em dead. True she or Gwen Verdon couldn't sing but they were both the ultimate Fosse dancers, and Roxie's vocal part is a sinch compared to Velma's.

I prefer strawberries, if you don't mind. And I did enjoy Ann in the Annie movie. I love "We Got Annie"

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Oh, Reinking fan, i wasn't capping on the diva, just saying I know what he means abouther singing. And hey, I even think Anne knows she's not a good singer, it's her dancing that's exceptional. The Chorus Line Casting Agents felt the same way when they cast her as Cassie!! Hello! How did Anne sing Music in the Mirror?? They prolly made an exception for the diva and lowered it! Who cares? She's Anne!

was it lowered??

I saw Ann (finally) live in FOSSE a couple years back, and it was a dream come true. (And thanks for the ever Ann-friendly note, Gary dear!)

I know Ann is not a singing diva, but her voice is unmistakable, and I love it anyway.

I know you weren't "trashing" my girl, Rob. I just always have to put in a vote for her because I love her so. ( :

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UMMM, not everyone can dance on film. Granted you can edit a lot or dance double but ANY ensemble/wide shot is gonna show you up real quick.