Limelight: All that jazz By Lubna Abdel Aziz Once upon a time almost 100 years ago in a tiny spot on the map called Hollywood, a new medium conquered the world; they called it the film industry. With its mild climate, its superstars, its million dollar budgets, its technical prowess, and cinematic know-how imported from Europe, Hollywood was crowned king of the new Seventh Art. With the introduction of sound, its main weapon became 'The Musical'. A uniquely American art form, the musical is the child of the European operetta, migrating to Broadway with composers like Sigmund Romberg, Victor Herbert and Rudolph Friml. It soon found favour with hungry film producers who eyed some of the gold filling Broadway's coffers. Splendidly lavish revues, effervescent songs and dances, held together by a solid story line, became the greatest treat the screen had to offer the world. Hollywood resorted again and again to Broadway hit musicals for inspiration, producing classic, romping, joyous, musical blockbusters. Like all good things the age of the musical came to an end some three decades ago. Poor writing, feeble choices, exorbitant budgets, and strong competition from violent action and fantastic outer space sensations forced the musical off the screen. Computers replaced the glitz and glamour of the multicoloured costumes, spectacular choreography and graphic extravaganza. Then, two years ago there came one Australian brave knight, Baz Luhrman, who gave us the elegant, ultra- modern, highly pleasing, screen musical Moulin Rouge. Its dazzling innovative style breathed new life in the Hollywood musical. Nostalgic audiences sighed as they reminisced over the good old days of Kiss me Kate, My Fair Lady, The King and I. Hollywood heard their collective sigh and as if by the stroke of a magician's wand, the musical is back, alive and well, and kicking again on the big screen. Hollywood has once more recreated a Broadway musical that has stood the test of time since its inception in 1975 by legendary choreographer and Oscar-winning director Bob Fosse (Cabaret 1972). Fosse's dream to produce Chicago for the screen seemed to die after his death until producer Harvey Weinstein heard of Broadway choreographer/director Rob Marshall's vision of a new screenplay. The result is a first-class, first-rate, rollicking, frolicking, razzle dazzle, old fashioned super production that has audiences tapping their feet and singing along every step of the way. The whole film is an exquisite piece of music, an effortlessly intoxicating two hours of pure enchantment. The 1975 musical, written by Bob Fosse, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, was based on journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins' play, inspired by real celebrities' murder cases. In 1996 Chicago took Broadway by surprise with a superb revival that was so spectacular and so successful, Hollywood decided it wanted in. A surprisingly magnificent cast was assembled. Sizzling monumental beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Velma Kelly, star of the Chicago stage, idolised by a chorus girl Roxie Hart played by Renée Zellwegger and befriended by slick shady lawyer Billy Flynn played by Richard Gere. Both Gere and Zeta-Jones had their early beginnings in musicals, but it was that sweetly pathetic chorus girl Roxie, who with a little talent and a big ambition held the greatest surprise. Zellwegger quivers like a tender leaf blowing in the wind. Looking a little thin, a little pale, and very helpless against the raging lions, a sudden irresistible warm kindly pity invades you. But when she belts a tune and moves her legs, audiences stop to listen, then stand up and cheer. Renée Zellwegger charms and stupefies. The city of Chicago, Illinois, has understandably been a favourite location for filmmakers. The second largest city in the US after New York, it is a vigorous, energetic, highly industrial metropolis, producing more of everything, from steel and machine tools to cookies and candy, than any other area in the country. It is not only a hustling, bustling, industrial giant, Chicago has one of the world's most beautiful lakefronts with its broad beaches and a tradition of beauty and culture. It has one of the finest Symphony Orchestras, a renowned Lyric Opera Company, fascinating art history and science museums, spectacular architecture, mile - high skyscrapers, the busiest airport in the world, and the best shopping in an elegant nine-mile mall to boot. Established in 1837, it derives its name from a little river, the Potowatomi Indians call "Checagou". It was destroyed by a great fire in 1871, believed to have started in Mrs Patrick O'Leary's barn when a cow knocked over a lantern. Chicago literally rose from the ashes to become one of the world's greatest and most renowned cities. During the time of prohibition, its reputation was somewhat sullied by bootlegging gangs, massacres, tommy guns and Al Capone. But those were also creative years with Chicago bearing great sons like Carl Sandburg, Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, as well as Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong who came up from New Orleans. It was also the Golden Age of Jazz. Often called the only art form to originate in the US, the birth place of jazz remains unknown, although New Orleans is sometimes referred to as the "cradle of jazz". It is a mixture of vigorous rhythms from West Africa, borrowing from European classical music, Negro spirituals, as well as American folk music. Jazz spread from the South through river boats on the Mississippi to Chicago, New York and other major cities in and out of the US. It continued to develop and prosper embracing fans everywhere until rock and roll came along and rocked the world of jazz. But not for long. Ever rich and resourceful, jazz has been enjoying a strong revival combining its melodic improvisations with the rhythms of rock. Sleek and slender in her "Jazz" routine, Catherine Zeta-Jones shimmies and shimmers like a tigress with velvet soft claws. A cabaret star of the roaring twenties she is in prison for killing her husband and sister who are cheating on her. She actually enjoys the media attention as well as the undivided services of her slick spry lawyer Billy Flynn, until Roxie Hart comes along. Renée Zellwegger brings a sweet pathetic vulnerability touchingly fragile as Roxie Hart who also shoots a cheating lover and tries to pin it on her husband. Yet the public's heart is wholly on her side. She seems chaste, pure, unalloyed, free from all that confuses, corrupts and deceives. "How can you help but like her?" She can never be a killer even though she killed someone. The quartet of superstars is complete with veteran stage director/choreographer Rob Marshall who brings his entirely new and daring expertise in a perfect blending of theatre, cinema, song and dance, to his very first feature film. Marshall has always been attached to Chicago since he first saw the Broadway musical as a boy in 1975. Marshall's brilliant camera work marries well the cutting edge technique with the traditional musical style. The result is pure magic. The film contains such startling pleasures like the big-bang opening number of Zeta-Jones passionately rendering And All That Jazz with such verve and vigour, flaunting her lush physicality, grabbing hold of you with such hungry ferocity, you only hope she never lets go. Enchanted audiences, reluctantly leave the theatres with dreams of coming back for more of such musical bliss that Hollywood alone can produce. Many a filmmaker is now busy digging in Broadway's archives for more hit musicals to satisfy a nostalgic public. As Oscar announces its nominations next week, predictions are that the windy city will be a big favourite, for its colour and flares its many brushes paint, the gloss and glamour its physical beauty commands, the lilt and music in its native Indian name. Chicago is a winner with all its power, panache, pizzazz "And All That Jazz".
