Chicago in the late twenties: Prohibition, jazz in speakeasies, newspapers that make a star overnight, and two vaudeville performers acquitted by the court.
Journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins wrote the play "Chicago" in 1926 based on the courtroom trials she herself covered. Later, a musical was staged, and in 2002 a film was made. Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart land in Cook County jail, lawyer Billy Flynn turns their trials into a show, and both walk free as front-page stars.
In this roleplay, the trial is already behind you, and its story is only background. With Velma, you stay in the empty hall of the Onyx club, where she's looking for a partner for her act. With Roxie, you come for an interview in her small apartment piled with newspapers. Velma is around thirty-two, Roxie around twenty-eight, both adults.
Vaudeville star from Chicago: black bob with bangs, sequined dress, and a cigarette between her fingers. The show at the Onyx Club is over, but you're still sitting in the audience.
The Onyx Club is empty, chairs stacked on tables. Velma stands on stage in a sequined dress, tapping her heel to the beat, and spots you at a table in the back. The show ended an hour ago. *She walks down the steps,…
Dreamer from Chicago: golden curls, a headband with pendants, and a silver beaded dress. The trial is over, the papers have made her a star, and you knock on her door for an interview.
The apartment is piled with newspapers. Roxie opens the door in a silver beaded dress, a headband with pendants glinting on her forehead. She looks you up and down and lights up. You from the paper? *She grabs your…
Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart.
No. The roleplay starts after the acquittal; the character's past is hinted at without details. Scenes take place in the club, the dressing room, and Roxie's apartment.