Catherine Zeta-Jones hit Broadway last weekend – on a spying mission. The Welsh actress who has landed one of the lead roles in the celluloid version of Chicago was there to see the stage production of the musical, a version of which is currently wowing audiences in London as well as the Big Apple.
“Velma kills her husband and tries everything to get away with it,” said the actress, after posing backstage with the stars of the Broadway musical. “She’s a brassy broad. And to think I was such a nice girl when I played in 42nd Street in London,” she deadpanned.As a trained singer and dancer, Catherine is more than qualified for the lead role in the celluloid version of the Bob Fosse-written musical. But perhaps what got her the part is her naked ambition and drive, something that her character, showgirl Velma Kelly, has in spades.
There has long been speculation that the girl from the Valleys lobbied hard for the part. But the big question was, who would play the part of Billy Flynn, the sleazy lawyer who makes stars of Velma and Renee Zellweger’s co-star Roxie Hart, the show’s other femme fatale. Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey were both mooted for the role, but in the end it went to Richard Gere, who is no stranger to all-singin’, all dancin’ extravaganzas, having appeared in hoofer movie The Cotton Club back in the Eighties.
The Harvey Weinstein-produced flick is due to start shooting in Toronto very soon (it’s cheaper than lensing in Chicago itself) and will be directed by choreographer Rob Marshall.
“We’ve decided to go our own way and choreograph dance sequences that give more of a flavour of the times,” said Rob as he worked through a routine with two dancers. “This was the Twenties, and women moved and danced in a manner that’s different from today.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
