Its rivals at the Hearst papers were more pro-defendant, and employed what were derisively called "sob-sisters" – women reporters who focused on the plight, attractiveness, redemption, or grace of the female defendants.

The Tribune reported that Annan played the foxtrot record Hula Lou over and over for two hours before calling her husband to say she killed a man who "tried to make love to her".

Cecil B. DeMille produced a silent film version, Chicago (1927), starring former Mack Sennett bathing beauty Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart.

Interplayed with the opening number, the scene cuts to February 14, 1928, in the bedroom of chorus girl Roxie Hart, where she murders Fred Casely as he attempts to break off an affair with her.

The final scene cuts to a Chicago vaudeville theater, where Roxie and Velma (acquitted off-stage) are performing a new act in which they sing bittersweetly about modern life ("Nowadays").

The former Mary Sunshine, revealed during the trial actually to be a man in drag, takes his natural male form as a pushy vaudeville promoter, shaping Roxie and Velma's dance ("Hot Honey Rag") to make it as sexy as possible.

Every musical moment in the show was loosely modeled on someone else: Roxie was Helen Morgan, Velma was Texas Guinan, Billy Flynn was Ted Lewis, Mama Morton was Sophie Tucker."

Composer John Kander elaborates that the reason the show was called a vaudeville "is because many of the songs we wrote are related to specific performers like those you mentioned, and Eddie Cantor and Bert Williams as well.

"[14] It was through the initial production, and not the writing, that many of the "traditional" Chicago staging conventions were developed: The double snap in "Razzle Dazzle" was added as an afterthought at the suggestion of Ebb to Kander.

Kander explains: "I remember when we wrote "Razzle Dazzle", before we took it in and played it for Bob, you [Ebb] said with absolute confidence 'Try adding a couple of finger snaps to it.

Another principal character, a theatrical agent named Henry Glassman, was played by David Rounds, whose role was to exploit the notoriety of the prisoners for his own gain.

"[20] The show opened the same year as Michael Bennett's highly successful A Chorus Line, which beat out Chicago in both ticket sales and at the Tony Awards.

Ann Reinking, who would go on to star in the highly successful 1996 revival[26] and choreograph that production in the style of Fosse, was also a cast replacement for Roxie Hart during the show's original run.

The show opened on November 14, 1996, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (the same theater where the original production had played)[44] with a script adapted by David Thompson,[45] eventually setting a record for recovering its initial costs faster than any other musical in history, likely due in part to the stripped-down design elements.

[53] Among the many other performers and celebrities who have appeared in the show are Adam Pascal, Alan Thicke, Amra-Faye Wright, Amy Spanger, Alyssa Milano, Ana Villafañe, Angelica Ross, Ariana Madix, Ashlee Simpson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Billy Zane, Brandy Norwood, Brooke Shields, Carol Woods, Chandra Wilson, Charlotte d'Amboise, Chris Sullivan, Christie Brinkley, Christine Pedi, Christopher Fitzgerald, Christopher Sieber, Cuba Gooding Jr., Debra Monk, Eddie George, Elvis Stojko, Erich Bergen, Erika Jayne, Gretchen Mol, Isaac Mizrahi, Jaime Camil, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeff McCarthy, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Nettles, Jerry Springer, Jinkx Monsoon, Joey Lawrence, John O'Hurley, Kara DioGuardi, Kevin Chamberlin, Kevin Richardson, Leigh Zimmerman, Lillias White, Lisa Rinna, Marco Zunino, Marilu Henner, Marti Pellow, Mel B, Melanie Griffith, Melora Hardin, Michael C. Hall, Michelle Williams, Mýa, Nana Visitor, NeNe Leakes, Norm Lewis, Pamela Anderson, Patrick Swayze, Paulo Szot, Philip Casnoff, Rita Wilson, Rob Bartlett, Roz Ryan, Rumer Willis, Ruthie Henshall, Samantha Harris, Sebastián Yatra, Shiri Maimon, Sofía Vergara, Taye Diggs, Todrick Hall, Tony Yazbeck, Usher, Veronica Dunne, and Wendy Williams.

Like its Broadway counterpart, the London production featured many celebrities, including Alison Moyet, America Ferrera, Anita Dobson, Anita Louise Combe, Aoife Mulholland, Ashlee Simpson, Bonnie Langford, Brooke Shields, Chita Rivera, Christie Brinkley, Claire Sweeney, Clive Rowe, Darius Campbell, David Hasselhoff, Denise van Outen, Frances Ruffelle, Gaby Roslin, Ian Kelsey, James Doherty, Jennifer Ellison, Jerry Springer, Jill Halfpenny, Joel Grey, John Barrowman, Josefina Gabrielle, Justin Lee Collins, Kelly Osbourne, Kevin Richardson, Leigh Zimmerman, Les Dennis, Linzi Hateley, Lynda Carter, Maria Friedman, Marti Pellow, Michael French, Michael Greco, Michelle Williams, Peter Davison, Raza Jaffrey, Sacha Distel, Sally Ann Triplett, Tina Arena, and Tony Hadley.

[63] To celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the West End revival production, Chicago returned, this time at the Phoenix Theatre opening April 11, 2018, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Billy Flynn, Sarah Soetaert as Roxie Hart, Josefina Gabrielle as Velma Kelly, and Ruthie Henshall as Mama Morton.

[64][65] A cast change saw Martin Kemp take over the role of Billy Flynn, with Alexandra Burke as Roxie Hart and Mazz Murray as Mama Morton.

[66] Denise Van Outen was announced to take over the role of Velma from 24 September 2018, but due to sustaining a stress fracture in her heel, her integration was delayed until 7 October.

The cast featured Charlotte d'Amboise (Roxie Hart), Jasmine Guy (Velma Kelly), Obba Babatundé (Billy Flynn) and Carol Woods (Matron "Mama" Morton).

[70] The tour went on hiatus in Fall 1999 and started again in October 1999 in Denver, Colorado, featuring Robert Urich as Billy Flynn, Vicki Lewis (Velma) and Nana Visitor (Roxie).

[73] The 2003 tour started in June 2003 at the National Theatre, Washington, DC, with Brenda Braxton playing Velma, Bianca Marroquin as Roxie, and Gregory Harrison as Billy Flynn.

[76] The most recent tour started in November 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina and starred Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn, Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart, Terra C. MacLeod as Velma Kelly and Roz Ryan (later replaced by Carol Woods) as Matron "Mama" Morton.

[78][79] For its annual fully staged musical event, the Hollywood Bowl produced a limited run of Chicago from July 26-28, 2013, directed by Brooke Shields.

The earliest productions were at Aarhus Teater and Alléscenen, both in 1976, with the latter notably starring Susse Wold as Roxie Hart, Lisbet Dahl as Velma Kelly, and Bent Mejding as Billy Flynn.

The first production opened September 2007 and starred Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Roxie Hart, Julie Steincke as Velma Kelly, and Peter Jorde as Billy Flynn.

[91] The second production opened January 2017 and starred Maria Lucia Rosenberg as Roxie Hart and Tomas Ambt Kofod as Billy Flynn, with Steincke reprising her role of Velma Kelly.

[96] A French-language production of Chicago, based on the Broadway 1996 revival, opened on September 18, 2018 at Théâtre Mogador in Paris with Sofia Essaïdi as Velma Kelly, Carien Keizer as Roxie Hart and Jean-Luc Guizone as Billy Flynn.

Directed by Dominique Trottein with a book translated by Nicolas Engel, this production is choreographed by Ann Reinking and the music was supervised by Rob Bowman.

[97] In March 2019, the U.S. national touring cast completed a nine-day, 16-performance Chicago residency at Heichal HaTarbut in Tel Aviv, with Israeli singer and actress Shiri Maimon reprising the role of Roxie Hart that she previously held on Broadway.