Friday, May 1, 1998
Painting the town
THEATER: Bob Fosse proteges, theater veterans and some new faces
go back to the vaudeville tradition, rendering the ‘Chicago’
musical production a sleek, contemporary look
By Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Long-limbed dancers slink on stage, clad seductively but simply.
The music begins, a suggestive oom-pah that aligns perfectly with
the roll of a shoulder, a thumb and forefinger stroking the brim of
a bowler hat.
All this jazz describes any one of the production numbers in
"Chicago," in previews at the Ahmanson Theatre, with a gala opening
Wednesday. But, curiously enough, it also describes the newest
Victoria’s Secret commercial.
The similarity has not escaped Ron Orbach, who plays Amos, the
infamous Roxie Hart’s forgotten man in the revival of John Kander
and Fred Ebb’s "Chicago." Flipping to E! in his Scottsdale, AZ,
hotel room, he exclaims, "Oh my God! Here’s (choreographer) Ann
Reinking on E! entertainment. They’re doing sort of a ‘Chicago’
thing with all these supermodels. Oh, it’s fascinating."
It’s all very Bob Fosse, Fosse being the original choreographer,
director and co-author of the musical. It’s his style – sensual but
classy; dark and detailed – that permeates such musicals as "Sweet
Charity," and, on screen, "Cabaret" and the surreal "All That
Jazz." Apparently it also sells English Lace lingerie, an
interesting ode given that when "Chicago" first took the stage over
two decades ago, few were buying it.
The show’s rather macabre storyline may explain some of the
initially lukewarm reception. Set against a jazz age backdrop of
speakeasies and hair triggers, the musical centers around the
murder trials of two women, the bold Velma Kelly (Jasmine Guy, whom
most will remember as the bold Whitley on "A Different World"), and
the flighty but manipulative Roxie Hart (Charlotte d’Amboise). As
the courtroom drama unfolds in vaudevillian metaphor, all involved
discover the power of money and a lawyer who sings in the same key
as the jury.
Phrases like "They let ya get away with murder / Razzle dazzle
’em / And you got a romance" fall eerily in sync with many of the
televised trials that have glitz-ified the news in recent years. In
1975, however, it all seemed a little strange.
"Bob Fosse was 20 years ahead of his time," Orbach says. "Now we
live in a tabloid world … From O.J. to the Menendez brothers to
Princess Diana – all the media hype and manipulation of the
criminal justice system (is) sort of commonplace now. In the ’70s,
these things were seen as something surreal."
As Hunyak, a Hungarian woman accused of murder, Cheryl Clark
plays the flip side – an innocent who she hints slips through the
cracks due to her poverty and naivete. As a paralegal and a single
mother, Clark can relate to the "Cell Block Tango," a humorous but
revealing song in which the "merry murderess" insists, "He had it
comin.’"
"If the DA’s office does finally nail a dad for non-payment (of
child support), he had it comin,’" Clark says. "If this number is
done correctly, people are gonna say, ‘Yeah, he had it comin.’ It’s
a very strong number. It’s tremendously powerful."
Thus far, "Chicago" has exuded its power on stages around the
country, its six 1997 Tony Awards perhaps making up for an initial
snub 22 years ago. At the time, Fosse was recovering from a heart
attack, and the cast found themselves somewhat orphaned in terms of
direction; 1975 was also the year of "A Chorus Line," Michael
Bennet’s equally racy, courageous musical whose more upbeat tone
may have explained its Tony sweep.
"’A Chorus Line’ of course was monster hit, and it was a
feel-good musical while ‘Chicago’ was sort of a nasty little
sinister piece that people didn’t really get," Orbach says.
Now, however, it gets a second chance (and a third – see
sidebar). Though Kander has streamlined much of the script and
director Walter Bobbie has taken a minimalist approach in terms of
costumes and scene changes, much of what distinguishes the revival
is its almost cosmic link with the original production.
Both Clark, who would eventually have a long-running stint as
Cassie in "A Chorus Line," and Reinking started out on Broadway as
"Fosse girls," the choreographer selecting them from among
thousands who auditioned.
"(Fosse) molded us," Clark says. "Once you have trained with
him, you can never lose it … He knew that one finger could read
to the back row of an audience. (But) underneath all the
choreography – and Annie stresses this also – it’s acting."
Though Clark sees the experience as a sort of
coming-full-circle, she also admits feeling a little, well, mature
compared to some of the newcomers.
"I said to John Kander, the composer, ‘Well, Johnny, I must be
the only original member,’" she recalls. "And he said, ‘Cheryl,
what about me?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but you’re not wearing
tights.’"
Actually, the ensemble includes more seasoned performers than
those who typically occupy bustiers and painted-on pants.
"This particular group of dancers is a little older, a little
more mature, so consequently I think there is a strength to them
that I think comes through," Orbach says. "It’s nice for me because
I feel like I have at least a few contemporaries … But they went
after older people because they just have more depth. You know how
a person’s wrinkles sometimes reveal a map of their journey in
life? And given a show like this, that has so much irony and hidden
messages and stuff, it really helps to have people like that, who
have a greater sense of history."
As the meek Amos, who dubs himself "Mr. Cellophane" in allusion
to his invisible status, Orbach looked to "Chicago"’s past – both
Barney Martin’s original Amos and the diminutive Joel Grey, who
revived the role in New York last year.
"(Barney Martin, who now plays Seinfeld’s father) was more
physically my type. He’s a big guy," Orbach says. "When you’re
barely over 5 feet, you are practically invisible, so there’s not a
lot you can do. But when you’re a guy who’s over 6 feet and
somewhat robust, it makes it even more sad and pathetic that he
finds himself not being seen and heard," Orbach observes, adding
that he tries to play Amos as one of the few sympathetic characters
in the show.
Experience aside, the tour got off to something of a rocky start
when lead d’Amboise came down with a throat infection at the same
time Guy joined the company. But, as Orbach chuckles, "not anything
that isn’t par for the course for we showbiz types."
Now the windy city is prepared to storm though the city of
angels, with its "slow motion tension," as Clark calls it. Its
trimmed down, tightened-up style; its shady ladies; its swinging
mystery; its vaudeville pizzazz. And all that jazz.
THEATER: "Chicago" opens Wednesday and is currently in previews
at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. Tickets range from
$22.50 to $70. Call (213) 628-2772.
Ahmanson Theatre
Ron Orbach plays the overlooked Amos Hart in "Chicago."