billy flynn chicago character analysis billy flynn chicago character analysis

Open Document. Amos Hart. Billy Gardell plays Chicago police officer Mike who starts attending an Overeaters Anonymous group to lose weight where he meets soulmate Molly. The actor went on to say that he'd had to draw a line in the sand, that or "I was going to die.". The last murderesses to enter in the Cook County Jail. One number thats left out of the 2002 movie is My Own Best Friend, which Alexandra Burke and Josefina Gabrielle bring to life on stage at the Phoenix. Nothing is taken seriously from the murders to the trials. Told through a series of vaudeville routines, the story of Chicago begins with Velma Kelly (Chita Rivera) setting the tone and atmosphere of the period with "All That Jazz.". His love of acting began as a child. So as we navigate some truly difficult times, in which the legal and political systems seem to repeatedly fail women and absolve their abusers and harassers, we need to make sure that we are willing to stand up for the women in our lives. Originally, when the score was being written for the stage, Roxie was intended as the focus of the narrative, but concerns about the health and stamina of leading lady Gwen Verdon lead to more stage time being given to Velmas character. %PDF-1.4 Watkins loosely based Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly, Billy Flynn and other characters in the play off the individuals involved in these famed Chicago courtroom proceedings. Velma is in it for the fame. Unfortunately, your shopping bag is empty. Innocent, sexy, desperate, selfish. Mama is the matron of Cook County Jail. A nalyst: Upon moving to Los Angeles, Flynn landed a job as an analyst at Warner Bros. Studios. Some things havent changed indeed. Congratulations are in order for Days of Our Lives fave Billy Flynn (Chad) and his wife, actress Gina Comparetto. Sexy, persuasive, manipulative, masculine. Search all shows. v Yl`t@GVL;yaX 2?m[-"rfi07G,C_x;J`'.1sd(S!l9F72D"Zr'% 1.O2be'.o1AHrb Rca4z%{M0AW#?F2qNA% ,1*1sL,#_!bD,G L$j3M9XRfA_\KL7+Ia~ELSfiZUSC. The song is a true show with backup dancers, costume changes, and dancing, and Flynn takes the viewer to see him as the "ordinary guy" before realizing he is a top-notch lawyer in town. Roxie Hart becomes her antagonist even though she will try to do everything to save her vaudeville career. (To be sure, Gere's own tap dancing is on the level of performers in the Chicago Bar Association's annual revue). Nightclub sensation Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago's slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her. Characters Casts Crews. Stream #DaysofourLives exclusively on @PeacockTV beginning this Monday September 12th. Paul Dano is an actor who can be distant and mystifying. While being initially suspicious of Roxies innocence, Billy Flynns persuasion skills eventually influenced the way she covered the case. The late 1920s. Character Analysis. ???? Though we hear lyrics of independence and self-sufficiency, the song feels like a lament. It is a challenge to manage the right amount of despair for his character." Enter a world of jazz, crime, and razzle dazzle at Chicago on Broadway. Its the best thing about this musical. She sleeps around unknown to her husband, Amos, but has a falling-out with one of her lovers, shoots him and is arrested for murder. 2 0 obj Velma has already captured the attention of newspaper readers, but after the poor sap Amos pays Billy his fee, a process begins to transform Roxie into a misunderstood heroine. Get entertainment recommendations for your unique personality and find out which of 5,500+ Prior to Mike & Molly, Gardell was known for playing another cop - Jeff Hoyne - on My Name Is Earl and is currently starring in another Chuck Lorre sitcom, Bob Hearts . You can like the life youre living, you can live the life you like; you can even marry Harry or mess around with Ike, Roxie and Velma sing, all the while suggesting that they wont be tricked into dependence on HarryorIke. Connor McClung, a senior who plays Amos Hart, says "playing Amos is a balancing act, because he is upset most of the time. She is corrupt in a way that is not so obvious because inmates see first her nurturing side and her manipulative side only later the moment that they needed favors in order to get out of jail or at least be treated nicely in jail itself. All that is viewed legal of course. In the original Broadway version, the song was performed by Flynn's actor, the late Jerry Orbach. Reilly brings a kind of pathetic sincere naivete to the role--the same tone, indeed, he brings to a similar husband in "The Hours," where it is also needed. Notificarme los nuevos comentarios por correo electrnico. Cause that sells more papers!Billy during his argument with Roxie. He can persuade an audience of journalists that his client is immaculate as snow with the help of theatrical antics. She killed her husband with a shotgun because he popped his gum. Find out how you match to him and 5500+ other characters. Theatrical Song. She is the best reporter in all Illinois. Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. Best of 2022 Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. If Billy is the Agent, Mama would be considered the Manager. But are the women in this story really triumphant? Instead of remorse, she felt so much pride at the sight of her name on the broadsheets front page discussing the horrors of her double homicide case. An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works He is joined in the cast by "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" winner Jinkx Monsoon who plays Mistress Morton. Images attached are from the film version of the hit musical. Manipulated easily, Amos is the only character in Chicago whose motives are entirely pure, never selfish and hes the only character who really loses ultimately. 144/11. "I'm an alcoholic and an addict," one who's been in recovery for coming up on three years. Husband: Charlie. Billy Flynn has been a mainstay on the Chicago blues circuit since the mid-80's. Fred Ebb Chicago brought Huey Lewis his Broadway debut, too. WhenChicago was first adapted into a Broadway musical by John Kander,Fred Ebb, andBob Fosse, each musical number was written in the vaudeville style. she takes Mama's advice and persuades Amos to come up with $5,000 to hire Billy Flynn, "Chicago's most famous defense attorney." Billy turns Roxie . . From main characters to cameos and minor roles, these characters are the reason why the movie is loved by film buffs around the world. It is the story of Roxie Hart (Rene Zellweger), a wannabe cabaret star in 1920s Chicago.She sleeps around unbeknownst to her husband, Amos (John C. Reilly), but has a falling-out with one of her lovers, shoots him and is arrested for murder. The Design. I will also talk about my ideas for the costumes for the prison girls. Billy Flynn is just in it for the money. Get Access. The movie doesn't update the musical so much as bring it to a high electric streamlined gloss. Some journalists could only be so vulnerable a trait not advisable for their profession. These characters from the movie Chicago are displayed from top to bottom according to their prevalence in the film, so you can find the lead characters at the top of the list. Show Guides. Then its all back to the black chairs in presenting a story meant to be funny. The whole world its all show business. Billys not concerned with whether hes following the spirit of the law, so long as he wins the case. Best known as the sweetie little jazz murderess, called by her lawyer Billy Flinn. A topnotch vaudeville performer, Velma Kelly was incarcerated for her murder of her husband and her sister after catching them in bed. Roxie is not very bright and never thinks about It is meant to be experienced. No wonder it was labeled as an act of desperation. It just so happened that it worked on Roxie too. The Phantom of the Opera: What Was the Monkey Music Box For? Character Analysis (Avoiding Spoilers) . Pages 3 Course Hero uses AI to attempt to automatically extract content from documents to surface to you and others so you can study better, e.g., in search results, to enrich docs, and more. She was known for having a performing act with her sister Veronica, but she killed her husband and her sister after finding them together. You have a bunch of dancers and all that jazz having fun in what seemed to be a nightclub in Prohibition Era Chicago and then an extra giddy couple enters the stage and go lovey-dovey on each other. Traditionally in musicals the music is embedded . Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Learn. Roxie's simpering sap of a husband, Amos, ponies up some of the cash, and Billy Flynn decides to auction off some Roxie memorabilia to make up the difference. The only prop that could have outdone the guns were the feathers that welcomed Billy into the story. He makes it interesting. Police detective who interviews Amos after Roxie kills Fred. Most of Billy Flynn's clients actually did commit the murder they are accused of; therefore he usually attempts to conjure a defense of self-defense or insanity. . Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall. Watkins' sensational columns documenting these trials proved so popular that she decided to write a play based on them. And that says a lot about some lawyers from the Prohibition Era from this musical is set to today. Richard Gere is Billy Flynn, the slick, high-priced attorney who boasts he can beat any rap, for a $5,000 fee. She can manage everything inside of the County Jail. Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall. The all-black costumes (think of your GCSE drama class performances) and disappointingly simple set (they manage to rustle up some confetti for Duncan James rendition of Razzle Dazzle, but thats about as fun as it gets) unintentionally reveals the fragile illusion of glamour that the characters ofChicago have consumed. Destroy the systems that did offer social care and destroy the people who have to pick up the slack. And even folks who never attended law school can tell how he managed to defend Roxie Hart. ON BREAKING CHARACTER . Movies. There are a few moments of straight pathos, including Amos Hart's pathetic disbelief that his Roxie could have cheated on him; he sings "Mr. Cellophane" about how people see right through him. Menu. The movie Chicago is a jazz type musical film full of murders, lies, sex and romance. Videos. She is wealthy because of her family and she is known for going crazy telling everyone to go-to-hell. She is a nave woman with a bad temper. Though it was practically accidental, the result was a female-driven powerhouse of a musical which culminates in the thrilling alliance of two hardened veterans of showbiz. It starts with Roxie Hart's cold-blooded murder of Fred Casely. Go to the shop Go to the shop. Comparetto shared the exciting news on social media along with nearly two dozen 60s-inspired photos that show off her baby bump and the couple's enthusiasm about the next chapter of their lives. A vaudeville is a light, comic number, combining music and pantomime to entertain - but not to educate, or suggest a lesson in morality. Sometimes you are more interested in the lawyers showmanship than whether the accused deserved to be convicted or not. But later on, as presented here in Chicago The Musical, the lawyers job is to provide the client with something to say to the press and to the jury, something that Roxie Hart badly needed. Chicago is a 2002 film based on a musical originally choreographed and directed by the legendary Bob Fosse in 1975. Billy Flynn is just in it for the money. From Velma Kellys cry, No, Im no ones wife but, oh, I love my life! in All that Jazz, to hers and Roxie Harts climatic closing duet Nowadays, its a score that relishes in womens liberation. This is Thesecret1070. You know why? Over the weekend, she posted eight beautiful 1960s-inpired photos with her husband, showing off her baby bump and shared, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes". As the best lawyer in town, Billy is just as big a celebrity as any of the glitzy, glamorous jazz singers. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Sometimes I consider her character as a commentary about journalists that got so persuaded with one presentation of the case that they almost went biased towards it. Meet The Flynn Family - This is Chicago's largest crime family with Walter Flynn being in the game for around 30 years, he's an old head and he's been around. The story is inspired by the screaming headlines of the Front Page era and the decade after. Sweetest little jazz killer in Chicago. Whats the one comforting factor in all this? As he tells Roxie, This is Chicago, kid. what happened to 21 savage on july 8 2009. marlin 1898 stock; pat swilling house new orleans; nixon strong baseball tournament; what are infractions in discord; truverse property management des moines, iowa; tess from raven's home pregnant. In the play, he defends Hart and her rival Velma Kelly, winning both cases. Billy Flynn has been a mainstay on the Chicago blues circuit since the mid-80's. In a typical set he'll segue from sophisticated Texas jump blues into raw Delta or postwar-Chicago style sounds. account. The foreigner. The Hungarian girl. And even folks who never attended law school can tell how he managed to defend Roxie Hart. The character either plays a major role, as a central element to . Not that youd pick up the next loose firearm and shoot your lover after discovering his or her infidelity to you (ladies, dont, no matter how angry you are; some people are not worth the jail term to serve) but people who, in their quest for fame, end up confusing it with infamy. Its pretension-free about hearings that still manage to put soap operas to shame. We stand wi, "Beginning is at once a masterful composition of observational comedy, and an incredibly moving commentary on moder, Misinformation and lack of knowledge often turn our bodily fluids into a taboo. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. They'll love you a lot more when you hang. Roxie is not very bright and never thinks about the consequences of her actions before she says or does things, but She will does whatever it takes to be a huge star. She killed her husband with a carving knife after he found out she cheated on him. But when Roxie Hart (Rene Zellweger) also winds up in prison, Billy takes on her case as well - turning her into a media circus of headlines. After Roxie murders her lover Fred Casely, whom she was committing adultery with, she hears about what Billy Flynn did for another murderess, the infamous Velma Kelly, and he becomes her lawyer. to read our character analysis for Billy Flynn and unlock other amazing theatre resources! Instead of interrupting the drama with songs, Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon stage the songs more or less within Roxie's imagination, where everything is a little more supercharged than life, and even lawyers can tap-dance. "I get the character of Billy Flynn," Mr. Springer added. So we spoke to @, In the depths of January, its easy to be hard on ourselves. Leading Characters Roxie Hart Best known as the sweetie little jazz murderess, called by her lawyer Billy Flinn. Needs to be a strong character actor who can sing and dance well. Despite the uncomfortable way in which our social media punitive system can manifest (thanks to the brevity of public attention and tendency to accept headlines as representative of a whole), one thing remains true: we cannot rely on the system for justice, particularly when it comes to holding men accountable for their treatment of women. Billy knows the secret to getting public opinion on his side: turn the whole trial into a show! We meet Roxie Hart, married early and unwisely, to Amos Hart (John C. Reilly), a credulous lunkhead. Now comes word they'll be adding a plus one . It featured A-list actors and actresses varying from Renee Zellweger who played the main character Roxie Hart to Richard Gere who played lawyer Billy Flynn. She doesnt have the money. As for Queen Latifah, she's too young to remember Sophie Tucker, but not to channel her. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists, See more characters from This Broadway production holds the longest running American musical in history of Broadway. Her statements regarding the murder case conflicted after her lawyer, Billy Flynn, got preoccupied with his . During the song, Roxie Hart (Gwen Verdon) enters and pauses just long enough to . (Avoiding Spoilers) Grew up in cynical times. When a murdering heiress steals Roxies limelight, a vignette of the crime shows a cheating husband yelling at his outraged wife: Are you gonna believe what you see, or what I tell ya? He is an incredibly charismatic, flamboyant and smooth talking lawyer with an incredibly corrupt and nihilistic outlook on life. NEW YORK (AP) - R&B superstar Usher makes his Broadway debut on Aug. 22 in Chicago, playing that slick, seductive lawyer, Billy Flynn in the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical. I just realized how several versions of All That Jazz, Funny Honey and Razzle Dazzle sung outside the Hollywood really got me thinking about this hit musical. O'Brien. . " Razzle Dazzle " is a song featured in the 1975 Broadway musical Chicago and its 2002 film adaptation of the same name. WordPress Theme: Dynamic News by ThemeZee. Hes also not above putting words in his clients mouths, if they arent telling their story the way he want them to.Interests money. Ring of Keys: Lyrics from Fun Home The Musical, Chicago The Musical lyrics: Cell Block Tango. "I'm a work in progress," he shared. When you write a character analysis, you must define that character's role. characters named adam. With the kind of ambition that tried to make up for what she lacked in intelligence, she found it so easy to ride along Flynns scheme of turning her into a pious woman, at least for the cameras. Since Chicago is a 1970s musical that's set in the 1920s, most of the songs below are either from pre-contemporary musicals or musicals that are set in the 1920s. You cant beat fresh blood on the walls.Personality confident and cunning. Best known as the best lawyer in all Chicago, Illinois. Bob Fosse His job is to save all the murderesses lives from County jail and he never lost a case. The Milton Area High School Drama Club will present "Chicago: Teen Edition" on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the school's performing arts center. Watching Chicago for the first time and you realize the immense influence the major characters have on you. Flynn has staying power. "Chicago" is a musical that might have seemed unfilmable, but that was because it was assumed it had to be transformed into more conventional terms. That said, you should still show off similar vocals and personality. The fact that the jazz-themed music are catchy enough to get stuck in your head makes the grim scenarios less grim than they actually are. Grew up in cynical times. This Character will be performed by someone from the ensemble. And it gets me thinking about several factors that made the repeat viewings worth it. The comparison, though satirical, strikes a rather serious chord under all the cabaret, cursing and relentless . Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. The guns got used in Roxies scene and in the heiresss scene. He has never lost a case involving a female defendant in his whole career, but in turn charges high fees for his services ($5,000), demands payment in full . Roxie Hart, Billy Flynn, Amos Hart. Billy is a calm, smooth-talking and charismatic lawyer who always looks for loopholes and twists the truth in order for him to win his clients' cases. Later we see the girl shooting her lover thrice. William "Billy" Flynn is the deuteragonist of the musical Chicago, and all of its adaptations. Rated PG-13 ???? Chicago, a musical originally choreographed, directed and co-written by the legendary Bob Fosse in 1975, is the story of Roxie Hart, a wannabe cabaret star in 1920s Chicago. Despite the supposedly light, vaudeville style of Chicago, Kander, Ebb and Fosse's adaptation (which takes inspiration from Maurine Dallas Watkin's play of the same name) draws purposeful parallels between the legal system and the culture of celebrity and sensation journalism. Alphabet Soup: Billy Flynn. No wonder Chicago has been honored with 6 Tony Awards, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy, and thousands of standing ovations. In the original Broadway version of the musical, he was portrayed by the late Jerry Orbach, who also played Sa'Luk in Disney's Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and King . She is an aspiring actress who gets into trouble with the law after murdering a man she was having an affair with and enlists the help of Billy Flynn to get her out of jail and into spotlight as a star She was portrayed by Gwen Verdon in the 1975 musical, and by Rene Zellweger in its 2002 film adaptation . He considers his profession to be akin to the entertainment industry, with himself as an A-list star in the field. He is furnitures salesman and a regular guy, but hed promised Roxie to take her to the show business. Killers were romanticized or vilified, cops and lawyers and reporters lived in each other's pockets, and newspapers read like pulp fiction. He was born on May 29, 1985, and shares his birthday with basketball player Carmello Anthony and the late President John F. Kennedy. He also has no shame about manipulating Roxie's innocent husband Amos and making him the media scapegoat for Roxie's crimes. The minimalist treatment applied worked too. Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for Billy Flynn from Chicago. Definitely the kind of lawyer you would hire because his antics can work to your, hes worth the money paid. She herself shows a certain genius in the process, as when she dramatically reveals she is pregnant with Amos' child, a claim that works only if nobody in the courtroom can count to nine. Just like Velma, she is self-centered and is only concerned with the now, not the aftermath that follows the case once the verdict is handed down. And she found a way to make a bad situation work out for her like realizing how she can be the toast of the town despite being in jail which brings us to the next factor that made this musical such a hit. The villainy of the six Cook County Jail murderesses, as told through Cell Block Tango, is temptingly redemptive as we hear the list of their murdered partners crimes against them. Nationality. My client feels that it was the combination of liquor and jazz that led to her downfall.Billy to the reporters in his campaign for Roxie's defence. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Chicago is a musical that tells womens stories predominantly through performances by female characters, so itshould feel like an empowering romp from one of the raciest decades of American history. Currently the second longest-running show on Broadway, the 1996 revival of Chicago boasts a long list of celebrities who have stepped into its leading roles. Billy is a smart, educated lawyer who can persuade anyone to do anything. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. . The show received both popular and critical acclaim and even made it to Broadway in 1926, running for 172 . In our version this person will be performed by a member from the band. Some things end up being funny when it reminds you of something that you have seen before a little too often, it has lost its potency to be a credible sob story that it has transcended to the point of being funny. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!! Please like our official Facebook page, MusicalsOnline.com and while youre at it, follow us on Twitter @musicalsnews. musical villains mashup // 20+ shows ???? The movie stars sweet-faced Renee Zellweger as Roxie Hart, who kills her lover and convinces her husband to pay for her defense; and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, who broke up her vaudeville sister act by murdering her husband and her sister while they were engaged in a sport not licensed for in-laws. I think its female friendship. Veronica. Roxie Hart. Billy Flynn said it best too Its showbiz!. stream Billy Flinn, and with help from Amos she is able to afford him and become the talk of the town. Fosse, who grew up in Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, lived in a city where the daily papers roared with the kinds of headlines the movie loves. Chicago (2002) Richard Gere as Billy Flynn. Velma is supposed to be a singing and dancing star, and Zeta-Jones delivers with glamor, high style and the delicious confidence the world forces on you when you are one of its most beautiful inhabitants. He will often turn trials into a media circus and public spectacle, regularly manipulates witnesses to fit his narratives (which usually have no resemblance to the truth), and keeps a tabloid sob sister, Mary Sunshine, on retainer to ensure positive press coverage for his clients. He puts Roxie in jail. But if these songs are used well to push a story forward and introduce a set of dynamic characters that you can relate with, then youre rest assured of reruns that would last decades just like what happened in Chicago. Upgrade to PRO Life is dramatic enough for the sob stories. Mary Sunshine is one of the journalists assigned to cover the development in the murder case of which Roxie Hart is the primary suspect. That's the angle I'm after.Billy talking to Amos about his campaign on helping Roxie. People watch Chicago The Musical to laugh. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Although modern audiences don't like to see stories interrupted by songs, apparently they like songs interrupted by stories. Show Guides. When public attention fades, even Duncan from Blue (sorry, their lawyer, Billy Flynn) seems to lose interest in their cases. Ring of Keys: Lyrics from Fun Home The Musical, Chicago The Musical lyrics: Cell Block Tango. Chicago, Illinois. That's about $60,000 in modern day buckaroos. A topnotch vaudeville performer, Velma Kelly was incarcerated for her murder of her husband and her sister after catching them in bed. Who would have thought the minimalist presentation of a musical would experience as many revivals as it is now? Billy Flynn became a lawyer for two reasons: a) the money, and b) because people are schmucks, as easily fooled as children. Flynn, who has never lost a case, now only takes the most high-profile clients. She then realized the extent of her arrogance once Roxie pointed out to her that shes been pushed off the front page. Billy Gardell - Mike Biggs. Identifying the character type and personality traits can help you better understand what the larger role of the character is within the story. American. running back about to step onstage for his Broadway . *Our system only provides suggested monologues or songs for select characters if we have matching monologues and song information in our database. (tenor) Amos Hart: Age 30-50. During the movie he is seen in the audience during the final number applauding Roxie and Velma. Theres something alluring about the irreverent way female jazz performances reclaim feminine sexuality and play a part in the subversive culture of jazz and metropolitan life. It brings with . "The Billy you see at the beginning of the show is the Billy you see at the end of the show," Barrett said. Chicago Character Descriptions V E L MA KE L L Y : F e ma l e , 2 5 -4 0 (Ra n g e : Al to , E 3 -D5 ) V a u d vi l l e p e rf o rme r wh o i s a ccu se d o f mu rd e ri n g h e r si st e r a n d h u sb a n d . but not much is done with the character. He is an incredibly charismatic, flamboyant and smooth talking lawyer with an incredibly corrupt and nihilistic outlook on life. Melodrama is not the only genre that can present stories involving such crimes. It's surprising to see the confidence in his singing and dancing, until you find out he was in musicals all through school. At least, in Chicago The Musical, there are song-and-dance numbers around. musical villains mashup // 20+ shows ???? Change Photo Log Report Last Update: 1 week ago. So which version of Chicago The Musical got you thinking that way all of a sudden? And jail never tempered her need to be on the papers for the sake of remaining relevant. She doesnt have the brain. HOT. The original non-musical play, Chicago, was written in 1926 by Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, based on two actual 1924 murder cases.