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Chicago (Movie): Vocal Selections
(Vocal Selections). We're very proud to present this deluxe piano/vocal folio featuring music from the movie sensation Chicago Oscar winner for Movie of the Year! In addition to 8 pages of sizzling color photos from the film, this book differs from the Broadway Vocal Selections (00312087) by featuring three songs that have never before appeared in print ("Cell Block Tango," "We Both Reached for the Gun," "I Can't Do It Alone"), and the Oscar-nominated new song "I Move On" written especially for the movie by Kander and Ebb the show's original composer and lyricist. This folio also includes a history of the show on stage, and new editions of the songs "And All That Jazz," "Roxie" and "Nowadays" transposed into lower keys (as sung in the movie) for belters, in addition to the classic numbers "Funny Honey," "When You're Good to Mama," "All I Care About," "Mister Cellophane," "Razzle Dazzle" and "Class," for a total of 13 terrific songs in all!
94 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 4, 2026
Few musicals have managed to remain as sharply relevant as Chicago. More than fifty years after its Broadway debut, it continues to dazzle audiences with its stripped-down staging, unforgettable score, and biting satire of celebrity culture, corruption, and America's fascination with sensational crime. While many classic musicals soften with age, Chicago has only become more incisive. Its themes feel startlingly contemporary in an era of viral scandals, true-crime obsession, and the endless performance of public image.
Premiering on Broadway in 1975 with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, Chicago initially found itself overshadowed by another landmark musical, A Chorus Line. It was only with its minimalist 1996 revival that the show became the worldwide phenomenon audiences know today. That revival stripped away elaborate scenery in favor of a concert-like presentation, allowing the wit of the writing, the sensual choreography, and the brilliance of the score to take center stage. The result has become one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history.
The show's origins, however, reach back much further than the 1970s. It is based on the 1926 play by journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins, who covered the sensational murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune. Watkins watched firsthand as attractive women accused of murder became media celebrities, their stories manipulated by ambitious lawyers and eager newspapers into melodramatic entertainment. Those real-life cases became the foundation for Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, whose rivalry forms the heart of the musical.
Knowing this history deepens every scene. The story is not merely a dark comedy about murderesses seeking fame; it is a critique of a justice system where charisma often outweighs truth and where public opinion can be manufactured as skillfully as a Broadway production. The uncomfortable realization is that very little has changed. Replace newspaper headlines with social media feeds and cable news, and Chicago feels less like a period piece than a mirror.
Its score remains one of musical theatre's greatest achievements. "All That Jazz" immediately establishes the show's smoky, seductive atmosphere, inviting audiences into a world where morality is secondary to spectacle. Velma Kelly's opening number remains one of Broadway's finest introductions, simultaneously glamorous and dangerous.
"Funny Honey" brilliantly reveals Roxie's talent for self-delusion before "Cell Block Tango" shifts the tone entirely. The famous refrain, "He had it coming," has sounded like a power chant since it was first sung. Sung by six imprisoned women recounting the men they killed, the number balances dark comedy with righteous fury. While each story is morally complicated, the repeated declaration transforms individual justifications into something larger—a communal anthem against manipulation, abuse, and betrayal. The phrase has long since escaped the theatre, entering popular culture as shorthand for unapologetic female solidarity and resistance.
The musical rarely slows its momentum. "When You're Good to Mama" gives the formidable Matron "Mama" Morton one of the score's richest blues-infused numbers, while "Razzle Dazzle" remains a gleefully cynical explanation of how appearances triumph over facts. Billy Flynn's courtroom philosophy—that performance matters more than truth—is perhaps the show's central thesis, delivered with irresistible charm.
Then there is "Mr. Cellophane," Amos Hart's heartbreaking lament about being invisible. Amid all the satire and spectacle, the song provides genuine emotional weight. Amos may be the show's only truly innocent character, and his quiet loneliness prevents Chicago from becoming entirely cynical.
Musically, Kander and Ebb created a score steeped in jazz, vaudeville, and cabaret traditions. Every number feels like its own stage act while simultaneously advancing the story. The songs are endlessly memorable because they function as both entertainment and commentary, exposing each character's carefully constructed performance.
Bob Fosse's choreography remains equally essential to the show's identity. Angular movements, turned-in knees, isolated shoulders, and unmistakable precision create a visual vocabulary unlike any other musical. Even productions that introduce their own variations remain unmistakably Fosse. The choreography never feels decorative; every movement underscores the show's themes of control, seduction, and theatrical illusion.
Perhaps Chicago's greatest achievement is its refusal to offer heroes. Roxie, Velma, Billy, Mama Morton, and nearly everyone else are deeply flawed, yet endlessly charismatic. The audience is seduced just as the fictional public is seduced within the story. We applaud the very manipulation the musical asks us to question.
That paradox explains why Chicago continues to thrive. It entertains with extraordinary songs, dazzling choreography, and razor-sharp humor while quietly asking unsettling questions about justice, fame, and our appetite for spectacle. The real murder trials that inspired the musical remind us that truth has always competed with performance, and that celebrity has long been capable of eclipsing accountability.
More than half a century after its premiere—and nearly a century after the crimes that inspired it—Chicago remains as stylish, provocative, and exhilarating as ever. It is not simply a classic musical; it is an enduring satire that grows more relevant with each passing decade, proving that the spotlight has always been capable of blinding us to what lies just beyond its glow.
Premiering on Broadway in 1975 with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, Chicago initially found itself overshadowed by another landmark musical, A Chorus Line. It was only with its minimalist 1996 revival that the show became the worldwide phenomenon audiences know today. That revival stripped away elaborate scenery in favor of a concert-like presentation, allowing the wit of the writing, the sensual choreography, and the brilliance of the score to take center stage. The result has become one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history.
The show's origins, however, reach back much further than the 1970s. It is based on the 1926 play by journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins, who covered the sensational murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune. Watkins watched firsthand as attractive women accused of murder became media celebrities, their stories manipulated by ambitious lawyers and eager newspapers into melodramatic entertainment. Those real-life cases became the foundation for Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, whose rivalry forms the heart of the musical.
Knowing this history deepens every scene. The story is not merely a dark comedy about murderesses seeking fame; it is a critique of a justice system where charisma often outweighs truth and where public opinion can be manufactured as skillfully as a Broadway production. The uncomfortable realization is that very little has changed. Replace newspaper headlines with social media feeds and cable news, and Chicago feels less like a period piece than a mirror.
Its score remains one of musical theatre's greatest achievements. "All That Jazz" immediately establishes the show's smoky, seductive atmosphere, inviting audiences into a world where morality is secondary to spectacle. Velma Kelly's opening number remains one of Broadway's finest introductions, simultaneously glamorous and dangerous.
"Funny Honey" brilliantly reveals Roxie's talent for self-delusion before "Cell Block Tango" shifts the tone entirely. The famous refrain, "He had it coming," has sounded like a power chant since it was first sung. Sung by six imprisoned women recounting the men they killed, the number balances dark comedy with righteous fury. While each story is morally complicated, the repeated declaration transforms individual justifications into something larger—a communal anthem against manipulation, abuse, and betrayal. The phrase has long since escaped the theatre, entering popular culture as shorthand for unapologetic female solidarity and resistance.
The musical rarely slows its momentum. "When You're Good to Mama" gives the formidable Matron "Mama" Morton one of the score's richest blues-infused numbers, while "Razzle Dazzle" remains a gleefully cynical explanation of how appearances triumph over facts. Billy Flynn's courtroom philosophy—that performance matters more than truth—is perhaps the show's central thesis, delivered with irresistible charm.
Then there is "Mr. Cellophane," Amos Hart's heartbreaking lament about being invisible. Amid all the satire and spectacle, the song provides genuine emotional weight. Amos may be the show's only truly innocent character, and his quiet loneliness prevents Chicago from becoming entirely cynical.
Musically, Kander and Ebb created a score steeped in jazz, vaudeville, and cabaret traditions. Every number feels like its own stage act while simultaneously advancing the story. The songs are endlessly memorable because they function as both entertainment and commentary, exposing each character's carefully constructed performance.
Bob Fosse's choreography remains equally essential to the show's identity. Angular movements, turned-in knees, isolated shoulders, and unmistakable precision create a visual vocabulary unlike any other musical. Even productions that introduce their own variations remain unmistakably Fosse. The choreography never feels decorative; every movement underscores the show's themes of control, seduction, and theatrical illusion.
Perhaps Chicago's greatest achievement is its refusal to offer heroes. Roxie, Velma, Billy, Mama Morton, and nearly everyone else are deeply flawed, yet endlessly charismatic. The audience is seduced just as the fictional public is seduced within the story. We applaud the very manipulation the musical asks us to question.
That paradox explains why Chicago continues to thrive. It entertains with extraordinary songs, dazzling choreography, and razor-sharp humor while quietly asking unsettling questions about justice, fame, and our appetite for spectacle. The real murder trials that inspired the musical remind us that truth has always competed with performance, and that celebrity has long been capable of eclipsing accountability.
More than half a century after its premiere—and nearly a century after the crimes that inspired it—Chicago remains as stylish, provocative, and exhilarating as ever. It is not simply a classic musical; it is an enduring satire that grows more relevant with each passing decade, proving that the spotlight has always been capable of blinding us to what lies just beyond its glow.
April 23, 2023
If you like your gin cold and your piano hot, Chicago is a total joy to the senses.
Read
January 17, 2026another script for school
January 23, 2009
"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen. You are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery - all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts." With that opening line, the audience is invited into a darkly satirical excoriation of the American Dream in a wicked and wonderfully jaded musical.
January 1, 2008
The first role I landed in college was Velma Kelly in Chicago. I played the same character the following year in Birmingham, England while studying abroad. It's still one of my favorite musicals - and to think I had never heard of the show before auditioning for it.
March 16, 2012
Dan Coates' arrangements in this easy piano book gave my hands quite a workout, jumping between octaves very quickly. That being said, it was definitely in the spirit of the musical with the rag and jazz feel to the music. I definitely enjoyed playing the songs in this book.
April 24, 2007
This is a fairly basic beginner's musical book. It's great for vocals, but rubbish for piano (I'm accustomed to most vocal selections using the piano sheet music).
June 1, 2007
I have a copy of this film. Althou a bit raunchy in style still a great show with good music
April 29, 2008
So good...so, so good...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews