Watkins Says No
Fosse was really interested in the idea of turning Chicago into a musical, and he decided to approach Maurine Watkins and ask her for the rights. Sadly, she refused, time and time again. In the end, Fosse actually had to wait until Watkins passed away in 1969.
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At that point, her estate sold off the rights to Fosse, along with Gwen Verdon and their producer friend, Richard Fryer. Finally, in possession of the rights to the play, Fosse was free to start writing the musical and bringing his vision to life, and he turned to two of the best music and lyrics writers he knew, John Kander and Fred Ebb, to write the score.