tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415015639692216699.post-49820875891589169382008-07-17T16:11:00.015-04:002008-07-17T20:51:29.284-04:002008-07-17T20:51:29.284-04:00Friday CJ Funnies: Razzle Dazzle 'EmI was thinking the other day about how long it's been since I've seen a stage production. Given my <a href="http://www.generalblogofcrime.com/2008/05/secret-professional-desires-revealed.html">love of musical theatre</a>, this is most distressing to me. So, I decided that this Friday CJ Funny would come courtesy of the Great White Way.<div><br /></div><div>Originally I wanted to post ""The Crime of the Century" from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragtime_%28musical%29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ragtime</span></a>, a terrific <span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">menage-a-trois</span>-and-murder-themed song from one of my all-time favorite musicals. ("Oh! Oh!/Harry's a jealous man/Bang! Bang!/That was the end of Stan!") Alas, I could not find a video of the Broadway cast performing this number, though I did find <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=yO6qlomWHqQ&feature=related">this</a> clip of a summer theatre group performing it so you can at least hear the song.*<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, I decided to post a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">different</span> (but equally great) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">menage-a-trois</span>-and-murder-themed song from another one of my favorite shows: ""We Both Reached for the Gun" from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%28musical%29">Chicago</a></span>. A synopsis for those who (gasp!) are unfamiliar with the plot:</div><div><br /></div><div>Chorus girl Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger, here in the 2002 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299658/">movie version</a>) has murdered her lover and hired slick, handsome defense attorney Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) to represent her. At a press conference, Billy spins an alternate (and false) version of the murder in which Roxie acted in self-defense (because, you know, she and her ex "both reached for the gun"). This number is staged as a ventriloquist act in which Billy supplies the words coming from the mouth of his "dummy," Roxie. Naturally, the gullible press corps -- powerless before Billy's substantial charm -- gleefully laps up his story. </div><div><br /></div><div>So please enjoy the clip, but be warned: you'll be singing this song for the rest of the day. Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes, oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes, you will!<br /></div><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02887805133030876 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02887805133030876 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02887805133030876 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02887805133030876 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02887805133030876 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1"></a><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SBM82Ju2kJU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />*To get a taste of just how amazing <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ragtime</span> is, watch the Broadway cast perform the show's opening number at the 1998 Tony Awards (at which it won Best Original Score) <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=7esLjR_O3SI&feature=related">here</a>.Dr. Huginkisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18273740636415633205noreply@blogger.com