billy flynn chicago character analysis

Chicago is a musical that tells womens stories predominantly through performances by female characters, so itshould feel like an empowering romp from one of the raciest decades of American history. Some things end up being funny when it reminds you of something that you have seen before a little too often, it has lost its potency to be a credible sob story that it has transcended to the point of being funny. Chicago, Illinois. ???? O'Brien. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, you've got to come see . Velma Kelly. In the musical version, you are left to judge that on your own. Roxie is not very bright and never thinks about Roxie has several press . Then its all back to the black chairs in presenting a story meant to be funny. Despite the uncomfortable way in which our social media punitive system can manifest (thanks to the brevity of public attention and tendency to accept headlines as representative of a whole), one thing remains true: we cannot rely on the system for justice, particularly when it comes to holding men accountable for their treatment of women. He was made to believe that Roxie is pregnant with his kid. Musicals; . Chicago, Illinois, United States. She sleeps around unknown to her husband, Amos, but has a falling-out with one of her lovers, shoots him and is arrested for murder. G. Gillian Russo January 10, 2023, 09:53. By day, Roxie cleans, cooks and washes- but by night, she frequents Chicago's notorious jazz clubs with her lover, Fred Casely. These are Roxie Hart, Amos Hart, Velma Kelly and Billy Flynn. Luckily, she's enlisted the help of hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn, whose influence is also helping make her a household name. I am referring to how a criminal proceeding was presented with such chutzpah, you realize how such presentation ends up becoming a lot more honest about the legal proceedings. Billy is a lot like a Hollywood Agent. It doesnt overly dramatize things that happen daily in life. From main characters to cameos and minor roles, these characters are the reason why the movie is loved by film buffs around the world. And the choreography doesn't copy Fosse's inimitable style, but it's not far from it, either; the movie sideswipes imitation on its way to homage. Its the best thing about this musical. The show takes place in Chicago, Illinois in the 1 920s. Nightclub sensation Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago's slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her. So we spoke to @, In the depths of January, its easy to be hard on ourselves. The musicals commentary on the way the public become the jury in high profile crimes remains relevant today, as time and again the public are accused of unfairly meting out justice (often via Twitter) and taking part in so calledwitch hunts. "If Jesus Christ had lived in Chicago," he explains, "and if he'd had $5,000, and had come to me--things would have turned out differently." William Flynn is a fictional character from the 1926 play Chicago, written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, and its various derivative works and remakes. His love of acting began as a child. These characters from the movie Chicago are displayed from top to bottom according to their prevalence in the film, so you can find the lead characters at the top of the list. "All I Care About (is Love)" serves as Flynn's jingle, in which the crooner claims not to care about wealth or materialism and works for his love of women (later revealed to be a complete lie), "They Both Reached For The Gun (The Press Conference Rag)" serves as a ventriloquist act with a call-and-response between Billy's "dummy" Roxie and the press, and "Razzle Dazzle" (a champagnesque piece with what Jerry Orbach described as "Brechtian subtlety"[1]) serves as the explanation of Flynn's modus operandi: make the case a distraction so that the jury loses attention. Arrogant and self-centered, she rebuffs the admiration and adulation that Roxie gave her. Chicago is still playing on Broadway and returns to London's West End this spring, after a six-year hiatus, with Cuba Gooding Jr as Billy Flynn, the lawyer who defends both women. Soap star Billy Flynn (Chad DiMera, Days of our Lives) and his wife, Gina Comparetto, just made a groovy announcement: they are expecting a baby! And she found a way to make a bad situation work out for her like realizing how she can be the toast of the town despite being in jail which brings us to the next factor that made this musical such a hit. musical villains mashup // 20+ shows ???? EDGE spoke to Lane about his love of theater, returning to "Chicago," and working with Jinkx Monsoon. to read our character analysis for Billy Flynn and unlock other amazing theatre resources! EPISODE 070 CHICAGO MUSIC REVEALED with Mike Jeffers and special guest host Dave Katzman for our Chicago Blues and Beyond segment. WordPress Theme: Dynamic News by ThemeZee. The Design. An era of flamboyant youth and flappers, gangsters and gin, and hi-jinks and hilarity. Of Zellweger and Gere, it can be said that they are persuasive in their musical roles and well cast as their characters. Most versions got it right. William "Billy" Flynn is the deuteragonist of the musical Chicago, and all of its adaptations. Its less about the law applicable to her and more about the drama applied on the law available for her to use. Yeah, it is a parody of the legal system but the main reason why it succeeded in being funny is because of the truth found there. The show received both popular and critical acclaim and even made it to Broadway in 1926, running for 172 . She killed her husband with a carving knife after he found out she cheated on him. Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. Chicago Character Descriptions V E L MA KE L L Y : F e ma l e , 2 5 -4 0 (Ra n g e : Al to , E 3 -D5 ) V a u d vi l l e p e rf o rme r wh o i s a ccu se d o f mu rd e ri n g h e r si st e r a n d h u sb a n d . Sexy, persuasive, manipulative, masculine. Finally, we go to the very thing that made Chicago The Musical unique the kind that you dont realize if the only version you saw is the Hollywood version. The singer/songwriter known for songs like "Hip to Be Square," "The Heart of Rock & Roll," and "I Want a New Drug" played Billy Flynn in . She is an aspiring actress who gets into trouble with the law after murdering a man she was having an affair with and enlists the help of Billy Flynn to get her out of jail and into spotlight as a star She was portrayed by Gwen Verdon in the 1975 musical, and by Rene Zellweger in its 2002 film adaptation . Maybe because it has worked before. He has never lost a case involving a female defendant in his whole career, but in turn charges high fees for his services ($5,000), demands payment in full up-front, and never takes pro bono work. It's surprising to see the confidence in his singing and dancing, until you find out he was in musicals all through school. 2 0 obj ???? The villainy of the six Cook County Jail murderesses, as told through Cell Block Tango, is temptingly redemptive as we hear the list of their murdered partners crimes against them. It is a challenge to manage the right amount of despair for his character." !, thus including him in the swelling ranks of 1920sf*ckboygaslighters. Watkins loosely based Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly, Billy Flynn and other characters in the play off the individuals involved in these famed Chicago courtroom proceedings. She then realized the extent of her arrogance once Roxie pointed out to her that shes been pushed off the front page. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! A master manipulator, Billy knows just how and when to sound sincere for maximum effect. His job is to save all the murderesses lives from County jail and he never lost a case. New York, NY, Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall She is a nave woman with a bad temper. Rated PG-13 An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works That said, you should still show off similar vocals and personality. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. November 16, 2022 2:39PM. Los campos obligatorios estn marcados con *. Vocal Part: Bass-Baritone. Sometimes I view that as commentary on people living in that era as sanitized enough with too manymurder cases that it has reached a point of being funny. Thanks for reading. Most of Billy Flynn's clients actually did commit the murder they are accused of; therefore he usually attempts to conjure a defense of self-defense or insanity. You cant beat fresh blood on the walls.Personality confident and cunning. She herself shows a certain genius in the process, as when she dramatically reveals she is pregnant with Amos' child, a claim that works only if nobody in the courtroom can count to nine. Only Billy Flynn (Gere) can pull off a trick like that, although his price is high and he sings a song in praise of his strategy ("Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle"). Chicago brought Huey Lewis his Broadway debut, too. Although modern audiences don't like to see stories interrupted by songs, apparently they like songs interrupted by stories. He also has no shame about manipulating Roxie's innocent husband Amos and making him the media scapegoat for Roxie's crimes. " Razzle Dazzle " is a song featured in the 1975 Broadway musical Chicago and its 2002 film adaptation of the same name. . That's the angle I'm after.Billy talking to Amos about his campaign on helping Roxie. Images attached are from the film version of the hit musical. William Flynn is a fictional character from the 1926 play Chicago, written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, and its various derivative works and remakes. 43/6 . He can persuade an audience of journalists that his client is immaculate as snow with the help of theatrical antics. They'll love you a lot more when you hang. The Phantom of the Opera: What Was the Monkey Music Box For? Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring [2] In the musical adaptation, his style is based upon Ted Lewis. He is joined in the cast by "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" winner Jinkx Monsoon who plays Mistress Morton. Manipulated easily, Amos is the only character in Chicago whose motives are entirely pure, never selfish and hes the only character who really loses ultimately. Without Flynn and with a dose of brainless arrogance, she almost got hanged if not for a need to live again and enjoy being the media celebrity all over again. Despite the supposedly light, vaudeville style of Chicago, Kander, Ebb and Fosse's adaptation (which takes inspiration from Maurine Dallas Watkin's play of the same name) draws purposeful parallels between the legal system and the culture of celebrity and sensation journalism. A topnotch vaudeville performer, Velma Kelly was incarcerated for her murder of her husband and her sister after catching them in bed. "He's a flamboyant Chicago attorney. I just realized how several versions of All That Jazz, Funny Honey and Razzle Dazzle sung outside the Hollywood really got me thinking about this hit musical. Roxie Hart For Roxie, I wanted to have a very simple and elegant look but also incorporate Teachers are striking - and its about time. When public attention fades, even Duncan from Blue (sorry, their lawyer, Billy Flynn) seems to lose interest in their cases. Alphabet Soup: Billy Flynn. It draws upon the societal obsession with celebrity criminals and scandal journalism that characterised the era and remains relevant in 2018. Just like Velma, she is self-centered and is only concerned with the now, not the aftermath that follows the case once the verdict is handed down. Melodrama is not the only genre that can present stories involving such crimes. Instead of interrupting the drama with songs, Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon stage the songs more or less within Roxie's imagination, where everything is a little more supercharged than life, and even lawyers can tap-dance. Upgrade to PRO to read our character analysis for Billy Flynn and unlock other amazing theatre resources! I am an admin of this site. Release Calendar Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Chicago. Chicago, a musical originally choreographed, directed and co-written by the legendary Bob Fosse in 1975, is the story of Roxie Hart, a wannabe cabaret star in 1920s Chicago. She kills her boyfriend in her apartment after coming home and finding him with two girls. Velma is in it for the fame. Since Chicago is a 1970s musical that's set in the 1920s, most of the songs below are either from pre-contemporary musicals or musicals that are set in the 1920s. Through the characters nave faith in the glitz of fame, coupled with lawyer Billy Flynns (Richard Gere) impressive courtroom tap dancing (and casual objectification of women), the film makes a clear comparison between showbiz and the legal system. Jan. 18, 2016. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Richard Gere is Billy Flynn, the slick, high-priced attorney who boasts he can beat . Upgrade to PRO Show Guides. Los campos obligatorios estn marcados con. So which version of Chicago The Musical got you thinking that way all of a sudden? He makes it interesting. A character that I either despise or feel bad for, Amos Hart is one that you could easily remember as the blindly loyal husband to Roxie. He knows that he possesses the kind of razzle-dazzle thats necessary to make it in this city.Profession lawyer, currently representing murderer Roxie Hart. Though we hear lyrics of independence and self-sufficiency, the song feels like a lament. Leading Characters Roxie Hart Best known as the sweetie little jazz murderess, called by her lawyer Billy Flinn. The film has budget on its side, and you would be forgiven for buying into the razzle dazzle; but the comparative shabbiness of the showcurrently running at the Phoenix Theatre, London, undermines the audiences ability to suspend their disbelief. As the best lawyer in town, Billy is just as big a celebrity as any of the glitzy, glamorous jazz singers. My client feels that it was the combination of liquor and jazz that led to her downfall.Billy to the reporters in his campaign for Roxie's defence. Reilly brings a kind of pathetic sincere naivete to the role--the same tone, indeed, he brings to a similar husband in "The Hours," where it is also needed. And what a good idea to cast Queen Latifah in the role of Mama, the prison matron; she belts out "When You're Good to Mama" with the superb assurance of a performer who knows what good is and what Mama likes. Billy Flynn is a master of spin: he can transform the image of a murderer into the image of a tragic victim with incredible ease. He has never lost a case involving a female defendant in his whole career, but in turn charges high fees for his services ($5,000), demands payment in full . When Roxie found out the true, she killed him with a gun. WordPress Theme: Dynamic News by ThemeZee. but not much is done with the character. He is an incredibly charismatic, flamboyant and smooth talking lawyer with an incredibly corrupt and nihilistic outlook on life. Just click Like on our official Facebook page, MusicalsOnline.com, and follow us on Twitter @musicalsnews. ESFP. For Fosse, the Chicago of Roxie Hart supplied the perfect peg to hang his famous hat. The Flynn has been at the center of Vermont's cultural landscape for 90 years. Luckily, hes in the perfect town for sensational murders. (To be sure, Gere's own tap dancing is on the level of performers in the Chicago Bar Association's annual revue). Gwen Verdon: Roxie Hart: Chita Rivera: Velma Kelly: Jerry Orbach: Billy Flynn: Barney Martin: Amos Hart: Mary McCarty: Matron Mama Morton: M. O'Haughey: Mary Sunshine: . Zellweger is not a born hoofer, but then again Roxie Hart isn't supposed to be a star; the whole point is that she isn't, and what Zellweger invaluably contributes to the role is Roxie's dreamy infatuation with herself, and her quickly growing mastery of publicity. Velma is supposed to be a singing and dancing star, and Zeta-Jones delivers with glamor, high style and the delicious confidence the world forces on you when you are one of its most beautiful inhabitants. Box 70381 Milwaukee, WI 53207. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. Ring of Keys: Lyrics from Fun Home The Musical, Chicago The Musical lyrics: Cell Block Tango. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. There are a few moments of straight pathos, including Amos Hart's pathetic disbelief that his Roxie could have cheated on him; he sings "Mr. Cellophane" about how people see right through him. The whole world its all show business. Billys not concerned with whether hes following the spirit of the law, so long as he wins the case. Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall. Even vaudeville has its own spin on sharing these stories. Richard Gere is Billy Flynn, the slick, high-priced attorney who boasts he can beat any rap, for a $5,000 fee. It is meant to be experienced. Even if she seems to be silly and childish, also she can be really dangerous. Funny and powerful. Please enable Javascript and hit the button below! One number thats left out of the 2002 movie is My Own Best Friend, which Alexandra Burke and Josefina Gabrielle bring to life on stage at the Phoenix. Change Photo Log Report Last Update: 1 week ago. <> Billy will take any case as long as it is sure to put money in his pocket. Go to the shop Go to the shop. The vaudeville is perfect for a caricature of 1920s Chicago, where life seemed to occur exclusively in the seductive smog of jazz bars, and rejecting the moral norms of previous decades wastrs la mode. Almost 100 years later, the unwitting moral of this dazzling musical remains pertinent First of all, dont murder men (unless they deserve it)*; and secondly, women are incredibly powerful when we stick together. She killed her boyfriend after she found out he was sleeping around. We meet Roxie Hart, married early and unwisely, to Amos Hart (John C. Reilly), a credulous lunkhead. san miguel . She even bragged it to Mama Morton. Some things havent changed indeed. This Broadway production holds the longest running American musical in history of Broadway. With the kind of ambition that tried to make up for what she lacked in intelligence, she found it so easy to ride along Flynns scheme of turning her into a pious woman, at least for the cameras. Innocent, sexy, desperate, selfish. % He could have easily taken the fall for his wifes crime if not for his wifes idiocy. And the moment that she realized that the new girl in town has taken up her space on the front page in several publications, she then tried to pair up with her for a vaudeville performance. Musicals usually rely on the memorable songs to induce several incidents of last song syndrome (LSS). And yet, Mama Morton (Mazz Murray) and Velma (Josefina Gabrielle) share excellent chemistry and steal the show at the Phoenix when they team up for a rendition of Class. Ha rd e n e d b y f a me , Flynn wasn't pink-slipped. Get Roxie acquitted for her murder of her lover Fred Casely, Kang the Conqueror (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Part Size: Supporting. I will also talk about my ideas for the costumes for the prison girls. Velma Kelly is one of the main characters in the successful 1975 Broadway musical Chicago. Billy Flinn, and with help from Amos she is able to afford him and become the talk of the town. Sarcastic, sexy, tough, funny. Kelly is an aloof nightclub singer/vaudevillian of the 20's, who plays sensationalist musical numbers at the jazz nightclub "The Onyx" in Chicago. Roxie Hart is the main protagonist of the musical Chicago and all of its adaptations. Fosse, who grew up in Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, lived in a city where the daily papers roared with the kinds of headlines the movie loves. I think its female friendship. Kelly Osbourne as Mama Morton 'Chicago, The Musical' (2006) . Think for example of the music in the film. Billy Flynn said it best too Its showbiz!. In 2002, Catherine Zeta Jones and Rene Zellweger starred in the movie adaptation, which positions each musical number as though it were happening in Roxies (Zellweger) imagination. All that is viewed legal of course. Watching Chicago for the first time and you realize the immense influence the major characters have on you. The same game plan he used on Velma Kelly is the same game plan he used on Roxie Hart. Completely loyal and devoted to his beloved wife. It was the Hollywood film version that suggested that. Whether intentionally or not, it brings to light some salient truths about the treatment of women by systems of power. People watch Chicago The Musical to laugh. We only provide suggested audition monologues or songs for an individual character if our system finds content that matches a character's traits. When she finds out he's a two-timing liar, she guns him down, and gets a one-way ticket to Death Row, already inhabited by Velma and overseen by Mama. "Chicago" continues the reinvention of the musical that started with "Moulin Rouge." You have a bunch of dancers and all that jazz having fun in what seemed to be a nightclub in Prohibition Era Chicago and then an extra giddy couple enters the stage and go lovey-dovey on each other. Kelly is based on the character "Velma", who first appeared in the 1926 play, also called Chicago, who was in-turn inspired by the life of Belva Gaertner . Tom Hewitt is currently . Hugh Jackman was apparently offered the role, but declined due to him thinking that he was too young. Even on his way . When a murdering heiress steals Roxies limelight, a vignette of the crime shows a cheating husband yelling at his outraged wife: Are you gonna believe what you see, or what I tell ya?

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