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Narrated by Joel Froomkin
Ethan MorddenUnabridged — 9 hours, 44 minutes
Narrated by Joel Froomkin
Ethan MorddenUnabridged — 9 hours, 44 minutes
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In 1975, the Broadway musical Chicago brought together a host of memes and myths—the gleefully subversive character of American musical comedy, the reckless glamour of the big-city newspaper, the mad decade of the 1920s, the work of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and the Wild West gangsterville that was the city of Chicago itself.
The tale of a young woman who murders her departing lover and then tricks the jury into letting her off, Chicago seemed too blunt and cynical at first. Everyone agreed it was show biz at its brilliant best, yet the public still preferred A Chorus Line, with its cast of innocents and sentimental feeling. Nevertheless, the 1996 Chicago revival is now the longest-running American musical in history.
As author Ethan Mordden looks back at Chicago's various moving parts—including the original 1926 play that started it all, a sexy silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, a talkie remake with Ginger Rogers, the musical itself, and at last the movie of the musical—we see how the American theater serves as a kind of alternative news medium, a town crier warning the public about the racy, devious interior contradictions of American society. Opinionated, witty, and rich in backstage anecdotes, All That Jazz brings the American musical to life in all its artistry and excitement.
"Mordden has to his credit a lengthy list of titles about the musical theater, and in this work, as in all his works, he demonstrates the full range of his expertise... Recommended." —R. D. Johnson, CHOICE
"Mordden may know more about American musical comedy than anyone else on earth . . . and he doesn't just know the musicals; he knows their contexts, their surroundings, item by item . . . it gives his writing a pleasing relaxation." - The New York Review of Books"Froomkin's vocal dexterity and impressive range of accents provide wonderful listening." -AudioFile
02/15/2018
Mordden's (When Broadway Went to Hollywood) latest is not necessarily about the musical Chicago; instead, it is a rambling history of musical theater and an homage to Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the 1975 production. Opening chapters read like a dissertation on the history of Chicago—the city—while the rest of the book reflects a lengthy op-ed featuring the author's criticisms of the original 1926 play by Maurine Watkins as well as its film iterations: a 1927 silent film produced by Cecil B. DeMille; the 1942 adaptation starring Ginger Rogers; and the 2005 blockbuster starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger. The lone chapter devoted to the musical itself critiques the score by Fosse and Fred Ebb. Mordden clearly prefers the 1975 show to the current revival, which has been on Broadway since 1996, calling it "middle-class common knowledge." Tangents on Hollywood detract from the narrative, and Mordden's commentary on the attractiveness of women in show business is cringeworthy. VERDICT Theatergoers may be interested in the competition between Chicago and A Chorus Line for Tony Awards in the late 1970s, but fans of "Cell Block Tango" and other songs should instead replay scores of the stage or film adaptations.—Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal
If this were just an audiobook about the evolution of the play CHICAGO, it would be engaging, but with Joel Froomkin’s narration, it is absolutely delightful. Froomkin’s performance is a marvel, making the politicians, the “dolls,” and the smoke-filled rooms of the notorious city sizzle with decadence. The narrative details the play’s extensive history: the Maurine Watkins play (1926), two early movies (CHICAGO in 1927 and ROXY HART in 1942), a Tony-winning Broadway musical (1975), and the Academy Award-winning musical (2002). Ethan Mordden gives us lots of juicy backstory about the famous and infamous and their assorted connections to the characters in the play. Through quotations, anecdotes, and bits from the plays and musicals discussed, Froomkin’s vocal dexterity and impressive range of accents provide wonderful listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
2017-12-19
An authoritative history of the "entire Chicago saga—a play, a silent film, a talkie, and only then the musical"—and beyond.Does anyone know more about the Broadway musical than the prolific Mordden (When Broadway Went to Hollywood, 2016, etc.)? Now, instead of exploring another aspect of the genre's history, the author focuses on the many iterations of one musical, the "fleet and ruthless" Chicago, a story of two women awaiting trial in a Chicago jail for murdering men. Like other satirical musicals, Chicago is "silly, loony, irreverent, and sexy, in the Offenbach tradition." Mordden sees the "too easily underestimated show" as dealing with two of America's "great myths," the city itself and the 1920s. After opening chapters provide useful summaries of the city's history, the author turns to Maurine Watkins, a Tribune reporter, and her 1926 play Chicago, which drew upon a pair of murder trials she reported on. Working in the "crook play-cum-courtroom drama" tradition, she "reinvents genre" in her play about the nature of power in America. Next came the silent movie version in 1927, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Mating wicked doings with farce, his movie was the "tale of a troubled marriage. Of a decent and loving guy married to a user." The second movie version, Roxie Hart (1942), directed by William A. Wellman and starring Ginger Rogers, was closer to the play than DeMille's version. Mordden takes two chapters to discuss the brilliant 1975 Bob Fosse choreographed version of Chicago, starring Gwen Verdon, with its "razzamatazz" music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. This multiple Tony winner, writes the author, was the "consummation of the musical satire." Choreographer/director Rob Marshall won the Academy Award as Best Director for his 2002 Chicago, which captured Best Picture, one of few musicals ever to do so.A theater history told with candor—critics Andrew Sarris and Clive Barnes are "idiots"—wit, and expertise. A distinguished investigation into the art form intellectuals scorn as "cotton candy."
| BN ID: | 2940170778850 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 08/28/2018 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
