Roxie- Character profile

The character that I play is Roxie Hart. The role was previously played by Liza Minnelli, Ann Reinking, Brooke Shields, Ruthie Henshall, Melora Hardin, Ashlee Simpson, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Harris, Michelle Williams, Christie Brinkley and Renee Zellweger in the film adaptation.  The character of Roxie Hart was inspired by real life murderesses Annan and Belva Gaertner in 1924. The story was covered by the Chicago Tribune.

Roxie Hart is a "two-bit talent with skiny legs" in accordance to her lover. She is quite a strong minded character, she seems to be very much in control of her husband Amos who comes across as a dimwitted yet kindhearted mechanic.  It's only when she finds out that she could possibly be hanged as a result of the murder of Fred Casely that her much more softer, emotional side begins to show.

However she wont let anything stand in her way, she's a feisty female who seems fame driven and obsessed with a world of "Jazz, Cabaret and liqour" she's the kind of woman who will do anything to get to the top of the fame ladder. She dreams of becoming a star, being on stage, being in Vaudeville. with her very own act, having all eyes on her, people chanting her name, the men falling at her feet. So when she meets Fred Casely and he tells her that he can make her a star she falls at his feet. But when she finds out that what Fred Casely had promised was all a lie just to sleep with her, the affair is quickly over and she shoots him. 

When news breaks out that this innocent looking woman has shot someone her name is in both the papers and "on everybody's lips"she begins to feel that she has now made it, allowing fame to get to her head and competing with rival Velma Kelly for the publics attention. When things begin to go down hill for Roxie she fakes a pregnancy that not even her loyar Billy Flynn saw coming. This brings her higher up the ladder and her court trial is the opitamy, this could either make or break her. In order to hold onto her fame both her and Velma Kelly team up to become the most unforgettable double act.

Her character is based on the real life murderess by the name of Beulah Annan who was only 23 when she was accused of the murder of Hary Kalstedt on April 3rd 1924. It is said that she waited two hours before making a phone call to her husband telling him that she had just killed a man who had tried to make love to her. On March 25th 1924 she was found not guilty.

25th January

Decoda, Isa, Kemilya and myselfgot together and spent some time going over our lines. In addition to this, we explored the various dance steps that could possibly be used for the different dance numbers in the show. This was really enjoyable we even made up routines that we taught each other and recorded.

Decoda and myself also decided to use the time to also work on our routine for "Nowadays" which is the final number in the show. We used some of the signiture movements from that era- Bob Fosse's works and added our own movements too. After working out the steps we continued to go over the dance routine in order to refine it. There's still more to do on the dance and so next week we shall contiinue to work on it.

  

 





When the rest of the class had arrived, we began to work on the first few scenes, blocking and figuring out where to stand in relation to the set up of the stage. For our first rehearsal, this went quite well and everyone had a good attitude towards it. For improvement, I shall contnue to learn my lines and run through theem by myself and with others and further explore my character watching her body language and tone of voice throughout both the movie and the stage show.

March 8th

We worked on the finale song which is "Nowadays" and running into the song from the scene before to include the bows

Today we worked on the song "Me and my baby". This song is the song sung by Roxie when she makes her public appearence after it is announced that she is pregnant. We began to choreograph the dance routine this included two other dancers that would dance beside Roxie. The way it was origionally done in the script involved the dancers in nappies and dummies acting as babies as the done the routine. However, we decided against the idea of dressing up the dancers as babies and simply just left it simple.

Later, I sung through "Me and my baby" then sung it again doing the routine at the same time in order to work out the structure of the song, when the chorus sings and how it will work with staging.

In addition to this, we worked on group songs. These included "Both reached for the gun" we then moved onto "All That Jazz" followed by solo songs.