The Rising Star

In my latest viewing of Chicago, some pivotal moments in the film took place. Roxie rose to fame, and it was at this point that I saw the negative, dark, twisted side of fame. Roxie had to alter her story behind shooting her husband in order to not seem, well, crazy. There were several iterations of this account of her assassination, including the performance of "We Both Reached for the Gun" where the lawyer, Billy, acted as a ventriloquist. Towards the end of the day's viewing, she ended up firing him, hating the fact that she had to be so dishonest with everyone, and how he was so controlling. On top of that, all he cared about was his money.

Her fame took a turn for the worse once the attention was on a new murderess: Kitty Baxter. She had just been convicted for murder. Velma had already fallen to an all-time low, to the point of asking Roxie to do an act with her - a desperate "I Can't Do It Alone", to which she refused. It was clear at this moment that tables had turned. Before, Velma was the start of the show, who treated everyone the way she wanted. She couldn't stand Roxie, especially when she touched her laundry. Roxie was innocent and vulnerable, but this all changed when she became a star. It is ironic that Velma had come asking for help, especially to someone like Roxie. But once Kitty came along, she absorbed all of Roxie's energy like a magnet. But being the clever girl that she was, Roxie quickly drew media attention when she faked being pregnant, and you can bet that Velma was pissed.

In the back of my mind, I was still thinking about how crazy all of these trigger-happy women were.