|
Scene 9 Limbo REPORTER 1: STOP THE PRESSES! REPORTER 2: CONVENT GIRL HELD! REPORTER 3: WE BOTH REACHED FOR THE GUN, SAYS ROXIE! REPORTER 4: DANCING FEET LEAD TO SORROW, SAYS BEAUTIFUL JAZZ SLAYER! MARY SUNSHINE: ROXIE SOBS. I’D GIVE ANYTHING TO BRING HIM BACK! REPORTER 6: JAZZ & LIQOUR, ROXIE’S DOWNFALL! Ya got that Charlie? Right! (Reporters exit, revealing ROXIE with her back to the audience, reading a newspaper with the headline, JAZZ & LIQOUR, ROXIE’S DOWNFALL!) ROXIE: (to the audience) You wanna know something? I always wanted my name in the papers. Before Amos I used to date this well-to-do, ugly bootlegger. He used to like to take me out and show me off. Ugly guys like to do that. Once it said in the paper, "Gangland’s Al Capeli seen at Chez Vito with cute darkhair chorine." That was me. I clipped it out and saved it. And now look, „ROXIE ROCKS CHICAGO!" Look, I’m gonna tell you the truth. Not that the truth really matters, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. The thing is, see… I’m older than I ever intended to be. All my life I wanted to be a dancer in vaudeville. Have my own act. But, no. No. No. No. No. No. It was one big world full of "No". Life. Then Amos came along. Sweet, safe Amos, who never says no. You know, some guys are like mirrors, and when I catch myself in Amos’ face I’m always a kid. Ya could love a guy like that. Look, I gotta tell ya, and I hope this ain’t too crude. In the bed department, Amos… was… zero. I mean, when we went to bed, he made love to me like he was fixin’ a carburetor or somethin’. "I love ya, honey. I love ya!" Anyway, to make a long story short, I started foolin’ around. And then I started screwin’ around, which is foolin’ around without dinner. I gave up the vaudeville idea, because after all those years… opportunity just passed me by. Oh, but it ain’t. Oh no, no, but it ain’t. If this Flynn guy gets me off, and with all this publicity, I could still get into vaudeville. I could still have my own act. Now, I got me a world full of "yes!" "ROXIE" ROXIE: THE NAME ON EVERYBODY’S LIPS IS GONNA BE ROXIE THE LADY RAKIN’ IN THE CHIPS IS GONNA BE ROXIE I’M GONNA BE A CELEBRITY THAT MEANS SOMEBODY EVERYONE KNOWS THEY’RE GONNA RECOGNIZE MY EYES MY HAIR, MY TEETH, MY BOOBS, MY NOSE FROM JUST SOME DUMB MECHANICS WIFE I’M GONNA BE ROXIE WHO SAYS THAT MURDER’S NOT AN ART? AND WHO IN CASE SHE DOESN’T HANG CAN SAY SHE STARTED WITH A BANG? ROXIE HART! I’m gonna have a swell act too! Yeah, I’ll get a boy to work with – someone who can lift me up and show me off – oh hell, I’ll get two boys. It’ll frame me better! No, no, think big, think big Roxie – I’m gonna get me a whole bunch of boys. (Six BOYS enter and begin to dance with ROXIE.) THE NAME ON EVERYBODY’S LIPS IS GONNA BE BOYS: (whisper) ROXIE! ROXIE: THE LADY RAKIN’ IN THE CHIPS IS GONNA BE BOYS: (whisper) ROXIE! (sing) SHE’S GONNA BE A CELEBRITY! ROXIE: THAT MEANS SOMEBODY EVERYONE KNOWS BOYS: Yeah THEY’RE GONNA RECOGNIZE HER EYES HER HAIR, HER TEETH ROXIE: MY BOOBS, MY NOSE Uh-oh... Hello boys! FROM JUST SOME DUMB MECHANICS WIFE I’M GONNA BE sing it! BOYS: ROXIE! ROXIE: WHO SAYS THAT MURDER’S NOT AN ART? BOYS: AND WHO IN CASE SHE DOESN‘T HANG ROXIE: CAN SAY SHE STARTED WITH A BANG! FOXY ROXIE & BOYS: ROXIE HART. BOYS: THEY’RE GONNA WAIT OUTSIDE IN LINE TO GET TO SEE ROXIE ROXIE: THINK OF THOSE AUTOGRAPHS I’LL SIGN "GOOD LUCK TO YA" ROXIE! AND I’LL APPEAR IN A LAVALIERE THAT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO MY WASTE BOYS: HERE A RING THERE A RING EVERYWHERE A RING-A-LING ROXIE: BUT ALWAYS IN THE BEST OF TASTE Ooo, I’m a star. BOY: And the audience loves her. ROXIE: And I love the audience and the audience loves me for loving them and I love the audience for loving me and we just love each other… and that’s because none of us got enough love in our childhood. BOYS: That’s right. ROXIE: And that’s showbiz, kid. BOYS: Oh yeah. SHE’S GIVING UP HER HUMDRUM LIFE ROXIE: I’M GONNA BE Sing it! BOYS: ROXIE (whispering) SHE MADE A SCANDAL AND A START ROXIE: AND SOPHIE TUCKER’LL SHIT, I KNOW TO SEE HER NAME GET BILLED BELOW ALL: FOXY ROXIE HART! BOYS: CHUH, CHUH, CHUH ETC. ROXIE: Those are my boys… BLACKOUT |