Vintage Chicago Tribune: Roxie Hart’s evolution — from Beulah Annan to Broadway and the big screen

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Roxie Hart’s evolution — from Beulah Annan to Broadway and the big screen

“Chicago The Musical” debuted on Broadway 50 years ago. Directed by Chicago native Bob Fosse and starring Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera and Jerry Orbach, the tale of an unfaithful wife who murders her lover then works the judicial system to secure her freedom was set against the backdrop of Prohibition and the Jazz Age. Though critics — including the Tribune’s Don Kirk — largely panned the production, its story has staying power. A 1996 revival has …