Author Description
In 1975, The Broadway Musical Chicago Brought Together A Host Of Memes And Myths - The Gleefully Subversive Character Of American Musical Comedy, The Reckless Glamour Of The Big-city Newspaper, The Mad Decade Of The 1920s, The Work Of Bob Fosse And Gwen Verdon (two Of The Greatest Talents In The Musical's History), And The Wild West Gangsterville That Was The City Of Chicago Itself. The Tale Of A Young Woman Who Murders Her Departing Lover And Then Tricks The Jury Into Letting Her Off, Chicago Seemed Too Blunt And Cynical At First. Everyone Agreed It Was Show Biz At Its Brilliant Best, Yet The Public Still Preferred A Chorus Line, With Its Cast Of Innocents And Sentimental Feeling. Nevertheless, The 1996 Chicago Revival Is Now The Longest-running American Musical In History, And The Movie Version Won The Best Picture Oscar. As Author Ethan Mordden Looks Back At Chicago's Various Moving Parts - Including The Original 1926 Play That Started It All, A Sexy Silent Film Directed By Cecil B. Demille, A Talkie Remake With Ginger Rogers, The Musical Itself, And At Last The Movie Of The Musical - We See How The American Theatre Serves As A Kind Of Alternative News Medium, A Town Crier Warning The Public About The Racy, Devious Interior Contradictions Of American Society. Opinionated, Witty, And Rich In Backstage Anecdotes, All That Jazz Brings The American Musical To Life In All Its Artistry And Excitement.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How did the various iterations of the story of Chicago evolve from a 1926 play into a cultural phenomenon that reflects the cynical and subversive nature of American society? Ethan Mordden, a noted chronicler of the American musical theater, examines the evolution of the narrative through its multiple adaptations. He argues that the theater functions as an alternative news medium, using the story of a murderess to expose the contradictions and dark humor inherent in the American experience.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the 1926 play, the Cecil B. DeMille silent film, the Ginger Rogers talkie, the 1975 stage musical, and the 2002 film adaptation.
- Examination of the creative contributions of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon.
- Historical context regarding the 1920s and the development of American musical comedy.
Scope Limits
- The book does not provide a comprehensive history of all Broadway musicals from the 1970s.
- It focuses specifically on the lineage of the Chicago story rather than a broad survey of all Fosse-directed works.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Readers frequently note the author's witty and opinionated prose style, which brings a sense of personality to the historical analysis. Experts highlight this work as a valuable resource for understanding the transition of stage properties into cinematic successes.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
ISBN-10:
0190651806
ISBN-13:
9780190651800
Non-Fiction
Theater History
Film History
Musicals