The fact this man’s vocals are so strong is made all the more insane by the fact HE’S GOT A CIGAR IN HIS MOUTH for at least half of it. Still sounds like the soundtrack. Just incredible.
Jerry Orbach really had it going on. Immensely talented, gorgeous, sexy and by all accounts a lovely gentleman. I would have chosen him over Swayze as my dance partner.
At Jerry’s memorial service, Chita Rivera talked about what it was like working with Jerry in this show. She said they’d all be waiting backstage with jitters but then she’d see Jerry in his suit and that Jerry was the leader of the cast and was so self-assured and easy going that he made everyone feel relaxed and ready to perform.
The greatest tribute that Broadway can give is to dim the lights in all theaters for a full minute when a theater icon dies. It's only been done a few times. They did this for the incomparable Jerry Orbach.
Mr.Orbach played Baby' s father in the movie" Dirty Dancing." He was in the series" Law and Order," for several years,before he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
i so appreciate the whole aesthetic in this original production. the costumes in modern productions dont evoke the late 20s early 30s vibe. they look like they're wearing lingeree from the 90s in most modern productions. loved the film...which got the vibe right.
I gotta hand it to Renaissance Disney - they were the ones who introduced me to Orbach with his role as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. And for that, I gotta thank them. He was terrific. I recall being very sad when I had heard he died.
Wow, these women look EXACTLY like those beautifully grotesque figures in the original poster artwork by Tony Walton. I had no idea they actually looked like that. The posture, the build, the ghostly complexion...
@@tejaswoman That's what the stage was all about; women with *lots* of cosmetics piled on. In "Chicago" it was all about capturing what the past had been like, but Broadway actresses really did look like that! I had a couple in my family that were still "living in the thirties."
The Talented women with Jerry: Sandra Brewer, Cheryl Clark, Fern Fitzgerald, Karen Burke, Pamela Sousa and Michon Peacock! xo CC Original "POP" 1975 "Chicago"
Those original women were BRILLIANT - NO ONE ever got the voice inflections as perfect is these original women!! ESPECIALLY "You know how some people have these annoying habits that get you down?" She correctly/ironically says it in the most annoying voice :)
Thanks for posting this! Oh, to have seen the original production of "Chicago". So extravagant, so hard and cynical, so sexy. The revival and the film can't seem to compare. Jerry Orbach, on this clip, is the bomb,
Oh, how I love Jerry's presentation of this song and character. It's the one I emulate every time I sing it. The world may now see Richard Gere as the model for the character of Billy, but it will always be Jerry for me.
Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach, Kander & Ebb. This show could not possibly lose! 1976 TONYS. Except it had a little competition named A CHORUS LINE. But CHICAGO got her revenge. It’s been running on Broadway for years, is always playing somewhere, and made a much better movie. Hello, Oscar. I saw CHICAGO with Bebe Neuwirth. I had simply died and gone to heaven. Every Fosse dance gives me tingles to my toes. CHICAGO can play forever. “Come on, Babe. Why don’t we paint the town? And all that jazz...”
There was definitely a rilvary but ACL has also played in many countries on tour and in revivals too. Not as Chicago on Broadway that’s for sure. One thing Bennett did is make sure his dancers in the workshop got residuals or a piece of the back end in ticket sales and they still do.
I'm embarrassed that I never heard of Chicago until the 2002 movie musical. I was impressed with Richard Gere mostly because I had no idea he could sing. Had I only known that the incomparable Jerry Orbach created the role on Broadway! Oh, to have seen this on Broadway. Good Lord.
And very telling that the movie version of “A Chorus Line “ was a Bomb while the movie version of “Chicago” won The Academy Award for Best Picture. Enough said.
Chicago may have been a little too truthful. Vietnam, Watergate everyday on TV. Lies and deceit and political theater. Chicago doesn't seem to sugarcoat anything. Maybe hard to stomach compared to ACL? Though more artful and important, perhaps.
@@kennethbrady There's also the fact that in the pre-OJ trial years, the concept of glamming up murderers and making a spectacle of the trial was viewed quite differently.
A Chorus Line and Chicago..the same year...I forgot..my gosh...that’s why Chicago had to come back as a revival to get its Tony..back then competition was stiff
I heard that Jerry would sing Broadway show tunes with the guy, who played the original Colin from Rent, Jesse.... oh Damn! Forgot his last name. Those 2 would sing show tunes between takes. ❤️ them!
Law and Order must have been such a breeze. He was the best Celebrity Jeporday contestant; a dubious honor but he was smart, talented and loved New York.
That's the intention and satire about the whole thing. While the show plays in a prison, the whole original set was a night club with the cast representing cabaret acts.
@@chrissi2810 Actually, it was performed as if it were a vaudeville show with most of the numbers recalling the vaudeville acts of performers of period, e.g, Texas Guinan (All that Jazz), Helen Morgan (Funny Honey), Ted Lewis (All I Care About), the female impersonator Julian Eltinge (Little Bit of Good), Sophie Tucker (When You're Good to Mama), Bert Williams (Mr Cellophane). The costuming for Mr Cellophane in the original also recalled that of Emil Jannings in the film THE BLUE ANGEL; Jannings played the cuckolded husband of cabaret singer Marlene Dietrich.
Musical comedy never got better than this, very funny , very smart, perfectly performed number.. And the rest of the show wasn't so bad either, just sayin'. Saw the original company 3 times.
My first boyfriend had landed in Charleston as a charismatic big city hustler from the Windy City With a toothy smile and a twinkle in his eye he'd seduce you with his charm. I'd fallen hard for the performance, completely captured by the theatrics. He took me to my first Broadway show. It was called Chicago, just like he was from Chicago, and when he sang Razzle Dazzle to me in the car on the way home it was his song; a fast talking con man and it was larger than life. How can they see with sequins in their eyes? Oh, brother! What chintzy schmaltz! Kander & Ebb. Fosse. Gwen. Chita. Jerry. Joel. Absolutely brilliant genius. Yeah it's a shame it didn't take home the Tony, but the was the price for living during an era of sensational talent.
I assume they chose this song because it didn't require one of the female leads (who'd probably prefer to dress, preparing for possibly winning a tony, etc)
Chicago ? darn that play was in the 1970s NICE,So surreal,LOVING THE Authentic 1920s makeup and costumes. Also the women in this clip look so Androgynous like Drag queens Luv it haha
The reason they look androgynous is because the "boyish" figure was VERY popular in the 1920s. The ideal female figure was one without any waist and short flapper style hair. Its very comparable to 1940s war time womens fashion. Which also took a very masculine approach albeit for a different reason.
YES ! The ORIGINAL ! FOSSE ! Concept !.. was Way More CREATIVE ! 'SURREAL ! SENSUALLY RAW !!! GHOSTLY And ORIGINAL !.. than The SCALED DOWN ! TONED DOWN !!👎 90's COLORLESS!!! Revival !!!!!
In some instances, yes. People have gravitated toward big show musicals. But those have always been around. Evita, Cats, Phantom, Sunset Boulevard, Pippin. All huge productions. And there are plenty of shows these days that are smaller and simple like this. The Chicago Revival, Cabaret Revival, Fun Home, The Band's Visit etc. There are plenty of those shows on Broadway. And some of the big spectacles are still beautiful art in themselves.
In The SCALED DOWN !!! 90s STRIPPED DOWN Version !!!!😝😝😝😝They Totally ! DRAINED ! The Show !!! Of ALL The Color !.. and Bizarre RAW !Sexuality!.. of the ORIGINAL ! FOSSE ! Concept!!
holarc Wth were you watching?? Jerry had an amazing voice, he was a Broadway mainstay, and he was a 3-time Tony nominee, including for this part (he won for Promises, Promises).
