By Steven Suskin
29 Oct 2006

CHICAGO THE MUSICAL: Tenth Anniversary Edition [Masterworks Broadway 82876-89784]
Chicago, the record-breaking 1996 revival of the musical vaudeville formulated by the Messrs. Fosse, Kander and Ebb back in 1975, has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. The longevity of this production — it recently pushed into the number eight spot on the longest-running musical list — can be attributed to several factors. Number one, it is a smashing show. Number two, it is a perfect show — stylistically and thematically —or the times (which was not the case, exactly, in 1975). Number three, the success of the revival managed to parlay into the making of a phenomenally successful motion picture version, and the phenomenally successful motion picture version served to propel new and fresh audiences to the stage revival. Number four, the producers have supported the show, both initially and continually, with a striking advertising campaign; by now we have been accustomed to those stark black and white portraits, but back in 1996 these shots — in the newspapers and on billboards — were provocative and positively edgy.

The fifth factor in the success of Chicago has been the casting policy. There was a time when the original stars would stay in a hit musical for the run of the play, but that time is long gone; as the length of run of hit shows has increased, a non-ending stream of cast replacements has become inevitable. (This trend goes back all the way to 1943 with Oklahoma!, which went through at least eight Curlys and nine Laureys — none of them stars, at least when they entered the cast — in a run half as long as that of Chicago. So far.)

There have been numerous cast changes in the major roles of Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Beauty and the Beast and Mamma Mia!. But how much do we hear about them? Some of these shows have even brought in celebrity names along the way, running a few splashy ads and getting a line or two of print in the dailies.

Chicago, though, has turned the necessity of star replacements into a prime asset. The stars of Chicago, and the promotional activities surrounding their arrival, has served to fuel audience interest in the show. Fans of said stars arrive at the box office, understandably enough; but more importantly, the parade gives the show constant jolts of publicity. Chicago the revival is in front of our eyes far more than any other long-running Broadway musical, most recently with the arrival, land-office business, illness and withdrawal of the recording artist known as Usher.

Search your databases of newspapers and national magazines and I expect you'll find that Chicago received more press in the last three months than the Broadway productions of Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Beauty and the Beast and Mamma Mia! — combined — have in the last five years.

The catalogue of Chicago stars seems to have been the impetus behind the new "10th Anniversary Edition" box set from Masterworks Broadway. Included are the original cast recording of the revival, starring Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton and Joel Grey; a second CD, including alternate tracks by related performers (including a half-dozen who have played the roles since Reinking and Neuwirth); and a DVD featuring interviews with the creative staff of the revival and international performance footage.

Most interesting, I suppose, is the second CD; the first is already owned, presumably, by fans of the show, while the third — while informative — doesn't give us what we would probably most want (which is to say, performance footage from the Broadway production). Half of the second CD is archival, featuring performances from the original 1975 cast album by Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach; a studio performance by Liza Minnelli; and Kander & Ebb performing two cut songs — "Loopin' the Loop" and "Ten Percent" — which I never tire of hearing. The rest is newly recorded for this box set; one week this past July, music director Rob Fisher went into the studio (or, rather, different studios) with the likes of Melanie Griffith, John Hurley, Lynda Carter and Brooke Shields. After all this, I must say, it felt warm and comforting to hear Gwen — who conceived the production and spent almost 20 years trying to get the rights — purring away on the final track.

This second CD is interesting, all right, for fans of the show and fans of the performers in question; the amount of interest will, I suppose, vary. High among the attractions of this "10th Anniversary Edition" box set, for me anyway, is the 68-page booklet. Handsome doesn't begin to describe it. All those strikingly original photos — or at least, many of them — are present, making the package altogether eye-popping. Perfectly representing factor four above, the stark advertising campaign which cemented the revival in the public eye — back before the show even opened — and has helped keep Chicago on the cutting edge for 10 years.

(Steven Suskin is author of "Second Act Trouble," "A Must See! Brilliant Broadway Artwork," "Show Tunes" and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. Prior ON THE RECORD columns can be accessed in the Features section of Playbill.com. Reach Suskin by e-mail at Ssuskin@aol.com.)

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