Chicago
by Maurine Dallas Watkinsliterary work· published 1926
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Chicago is a play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins. The play, while fiction, is a satire based on two unrelated 1924 court cases involving two women, Beulah Annan (the inspiration for Roxie Hart) and Belva Gaertner (the inspiration for Velma), who were both accused and later acquitted of murder, whom Watkins had covered for the Chicago Tribune as a reporter. Watkins wrote the script (originally titled Brave Little Woman) as a class assignment while attending the Yale Drama School. Produced by Sam H. Harris, the play debuted on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on December 30, 1926, directed by George Abbott, where it ran for 172 performances. The play serves as the inspiration for the stage musical of the same name.
Adaptations (2)
Chicago has been adapted into 2 films, from 1927 to 1942. The most recent is Roxie Hart (1942).
