The Vaudeville Touch
It was decided by John Kander and Fred Ebb that each of the musical numbers in the musical would be modeled on a traditional vaudeville performer or number. This unique format allowed the musical to make a clear distinction between the show-business side of the story and the more serious side of crime and justice.
Chicago on Broadway, 1975. Photo by Granger / Shutterstock
Roxie was modeled on Helen Morgan, Velma was based on Texas Guinan, and Billy Flynn was modeled on Ted Lewis. Kander and Ebb took a lot of inspiration from the vaudeville world when writing Chicago, and it was this decision that really played a big part in securing the future success of both the musical itself and the 2002 film.