Making a Musical
Bob Foss, Fred Ebb, and John Kander all got to work on ‘Chicago,’ the musical. They took inspiration from Maurine Watkins’ original play and the true stories that inspired it, with Fosse’s wife, Gwen Vendon, being the original Broadway star in the role of Roxie Hart, while Chita Rivera played Velma Kelly and Jerry Orbach was cast as Billy Flynn.
Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli photographed at the curtain call for Chicago on Broadway, 1975. Photo by Nancy Barr Brandon / Shutterstock
The original Broadway show opened up at the 46th Street Theatre in 1975, running for over 900 performances until 1977. A London version opened in the West End in 1979, running for 600 performances, and the show was later revived both on Broadway and in the West End in the late 1990s.