"Chicago": From Stage to Film

The costumes in this popular, dark, sensational musical are timeless.  “Chicago” opened on Broadway in 1970 and ran for 10 years.  The show tells the story of Roxy Heart, who murders her husband and is thrown in prison where she meets “” who, along with the other inmates, suggests what she should do to get out of prison.  She hires a lawyer who knows how to “Razzle” and “Dazzle” jurors, judges, reporters and everyone else. 

With edgy costumes and choreography by Bob Fosse, this musical is at the top ten all time favorites.  Therefore it was made into a movie in 2000.  The cast featured Rene Zelweger, Richard Geere, Catherine Zeta Jones, Queen Latifa, and many others.

The musical is set in the 1930 and the period costumes are magnifique.

One of the most famous scenes is at the end when Roxy and Catherine are both free and have opened their own vaudeville duet act.  They shimmy across the stage with black sequenced fringe mini skirts.

(photo from Playbill.com)

"Hairspray": From stage to film

Set in the 1960’s, this musical is filled with poofy skirts, bobby socks and lots and lots and lots of hairspray. The musical starts with Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), a plump and secure outcast dancing her way through Baltimore, Maryland.  Encouraged by her friend, Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes), Tracy auditions for the Corny Collins Show and surprises every one when she makes it.  Tracy defies social norms by befriending black people and performing their dance moves on the show.  The film climaxes as Tracy hides from the cops after an intergration march turns ugly. She sneaks into the Ms. Teenage Hairspray pagent with the help of her black friends and the show is finally intergrated.

Hairspray was movie, turned Broadway musical, which then returned to the silver screen as a musical.  The cast included John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, and Queen Latifah, and was released mid July in 2007.

The costumes for the film were more toned down in color and contrast in comparison to those designed for the stage.  The costumes for the stage seemed tacky up close but were so bold enough to make an impression to audience members seated in the last row of the    theater.

Many of the most memorable costumes appear in the final scene of the film. For the Ms. Teenage Hairspray competition, lead character Tracy Turnblad transitions form dumpy homemade floral and plaid skirt sets and dawns a sequenced checkerboard baby doll dress, which represents racial integration.

Her mother Edna Turnblad, played by John Travolta, sheds a tan trench coat revealing a red and gold sequenced dress which dances around her ankles until she rips it off showing off a fringe mini skirt displaying her chunky but firm thighs.  It is apparent that dancing runs in the family.

Hairspray closed on Broadway on January 4, 2009 but can be seen on tour or on DVD forever.

 (photo from imdb.com)