The 1975 musical Chicago was shaped by its director, Chicago native Bob Fosse. The show was subtitled “A Musical Vaudeville” because many of the numbers in the memorable score were pastiches of a particular vaudeville performer or type of act. You’ll hear the historic originals, then the songs they inspired. On the way, you’ll learn a lot about the city of Chicago in the 1920s, and about Maurine Watkins, the enigmatic author of the 1926 play on which the musical is based.
Charles Troy’s seamless multimedia presentations examine the great works of the American musical theatre. They consist of original graphics, scanned photos, video clips, and edited audio tracks with the lyrics displayed onscreen – accompanied by a thoroughly researched, scripted narrative that makes the events depicted into a cohesive, dramatic story. His presentations appear monthly at the Skokie Theatre.
