Last week Gallup revealed a once unthinkable poll result: former President George W. Bush now has a higher approval rating than President Barack Obama. Considering how much of Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaign narratives were about being the anti-Bush candidate, it’s an interesting twist and one the current West Wing must not be enjoying.
In discussing the poll result with a former Bush White House colleague who follows my blog, I was asked: “Perceptions of presidents have changed over time, is the same true for musicals?”
It’s an interesting question and the answer can be found in this statement:
There’s been no greater second act for a musical than Chicago, currently 
playing at Broadway’s Ambassador Theater. With more than 6,583 performances on Broadway, the winner of seven 1997 Tony Awards and six 2002 Oscars, it’s hard to believe but Chicago was once on the verge of being condemned to the Playbill archives.
On paper, Chicago had the makings of a hit with: Bob Fosse as the director-choreographer, written by the composer-lyricist team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a cast that included theatrical legends: Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach and Gwen Verdon. What it didn’t have was timing, and sometimes on Broadway that’s the most important ingredient.
A week prior to Chicago’s opening in June 1975, the most groundbreaking musical since Oklahoma opened down the block at the Shubert Theatre, A Chorus Line. Compared to Chicago’s overtly cynical v
iew of the justice system, Chorus Line’s story about the dreams and struggles of dancers on Broadway was cheered by critics and audiences. When the 1976 Tony Award nominations were announced, Chicago received 10 nominations, losing everyone of them to A Chorus Line.
Despite a respectable Broadway run of 936 performances, the original Broadway production of Chicago closed in 1977 with little fan fare. Chicago’s portrayal of justice and celebrity seemed in poor taste. That perception would change overtime, all thanks to OJ Simpson, 24 hour cable news and a growing tabloid media culture in the United States.
At New York City’s City Center Encores, a program dedicated to performing musicals that are rarely produced, the creative team knew that by 1996 the time was right for audiences to get reacquainted with Chicago. The coverage of the Simpson Trial had only validated the show’s concept of criminal celebrity. So they scheduled a revival concert and well, the rest is history.
The concert production was turned into a full-blown Broadway revival, 
opening in November 1996. In 2002 Chicago, which was first deemed too cynical for audiences, further advanced its comeback with a hit movie that grossed more than $306 million worldwide, and became the first movie-musical to win the Oscar for Best Picture in more than 30 years.
Time changes our perspective on everything, from politics and musicals, to policy issues and songs. What both President Bush and Chicago demonstrate is that the verdict of the critics is only temporary. It is history who will render the final judgment…and all that jazz!
For tickets to the Broadway, US Tour and International Productions of Chicago please visit: www.chicagothemusical.com/
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