You may think there’s nothing to it, but director Rob
Marshall simply cannot do it alone.
Fresh off of this weekend’s $100 million box office
milestone and wins at the Director’s Guild Awards and the
Producer’s Guild Awards, this year’s Oscar favorite,
“Chicago,” rouged its knees for
a nostalgic red carpet fete through the American Cinematheque
at the Egyptian Theater on Tuesday.
Marshall attended the screening with his screenwriter and
executive producers, as well as a who’s who of Golden Age
Hollywood cinema from Shirley Jones to Mickey Rooney. The critical
acclaim and warm public reception prove that this movie musical and
the genre’s camaraderie are alive and kicking.
“Time marches on,” Rooney said. “But, you know
what? I don’t think anybody ever gets tired of watching
musicals.”
Lifelong musical lover Marshall convinced Miramax he could
direct and choreograph “Chicago” through his vision of
staging the trademark vaudeville numbers separately from the
narrative. But first he had to find a screenwriter to bring his
vision to the screen. He found a match in Oscar winner Bill Condon
(“Gods and Monsters”), whom Marshall credits with
knowing every musical ever made.
“When I met Bill Condon, it was like kindred
spirits,” Marshall said. “The second we sat down, I
said, “˜Bill, where have you been my whole life, and how come
you haven’t written 25 musicals?’ Here’s this
incredible musical theater librettist that had never done one
before.”
Together, Marshall and Condon created the device of
Roxie’s imagination as a bridge between real life and the
vaudeville stage, enabling seamless transitions into song while
keeping the story in motion.
Executive producer Craig Zadan believes this device is what has
made “Chicago” such an enormous hit.
“I think that’s led people coming to us and saying,
“˜I hate musicals, and I’ve seen “˜Chicago’
five times,'” he said. “They’re not even
aware that the person didn’t even stop to go into a
song.”
The satirical take on 1920s sensational jury trials may make
“Chicago” immediately appealing to modern audiences
raised on the O.J. Simpson trial, but Condon cites a personal
connection to the viewer.
“”˜Chicago’ (has) been a strangely enduring
little story, and people think it’s because of obvious things
like the press and all those issues,” Condon said. “But
I also think a basic thing in this musical is that we all have an
act. We all have to figure out how to get ourselves across the
footlights.”
To fully realize “Chicago” into a film, the
director-writer collaboration continued well into the 60-day
shoot.
Condon frequently joined Marshall on set to help conceptualize
the numbers, along with key technicians, designers, choreographers
and actors. Marshall believes this team spirit is essential to
filming as well as staging.
“I’d be foolish to think I could come up with
everything myself,” he said. “Because I come from
theater, I invite collaboration. I think the best idea in the room
wins, and I don’t care who has it.”
“Usually, Rob had (the best ideas),” said
Condon.
While the collaboration on “Chicago” was extensive,
Marshall acknowledges he wouldn’t be where he is today
without the legendary movie musicals he grew up watching. He
extolled the virtues of many old Hollywood stars in attendance that
night, such as Jane Withers, Russ Tamblyn and Fayard Nicholas,
saying he simply could not have done it without them.
“We had a premiere in December, but that was
nothing,” Marshall said. “This is the premiere for me.
To be meeting what I call true Hollywood film stars is overwhelming
to me. I’m here because of them. They’re my
inspiration.”
Marshall may be receiving the lion’s share of attention
from critics and audiences for his directorial debut, but he
reiterates that without his collaborators, “Chicago”
would not have come to life.
“Thank God I had the team I had, because all of us did it
together,” he said. “I think that’s what musical
theater is. It really comes down to Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland
saying, “˜Let’s put on a show in the
barn!'”