Chita Rivera & Gwen Verdon: Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag

[@turnbuckl]

I must have second acted Chicago 100 times on Broadway just to see this number with them.... they were untouchable in their performances......still get chills watching this..lol- I remember as I was sneaking in with the crowd getting asked a few times for my ticket and I would tell the ushers that I was watching because I was going to be a replacement in the show....brave and ballsy in my youth-thanks for posting this treasure.

[@stanykb]

I remember watching this at my parents' home in Indiana when I was in college. Heavenly! Saw Gwen do this show 3 times and Chita twice. One cannot underestimate the brilliance of these ladies!

[@folliesfanatic]

These ladies were incredible. I saw them in the pre-Broadway tryout in Philly. Incredible talent. This number was very different in the tryout version. Hot Honey Rag didn't exist yet. They did a version of Nowadays and had a finale number with a wind machine. Also I remember Chita playing the drums and Gwen doing the sax. Obviously, Fosse made it better with this version.

[@mzmiller52]

There is a video on here of the musical director who created honey rag based on a slower song in the first act. He is brilliant.

[@emperorleroy6747]

​@@mzmiller52could you link to that?

[@yanicejones5070]

They are my favorite pair to do this performance. I feel their energy, joy and professionalism. They were relatable to the audience. Besides, with Verdon there, being married to Fosse, you knew they knew the correct steps and feel Fosse was trying to capture.

[@PrincessJax268]

There are no words to express the talent!!!! Breathtakingly brilliant!!!!

[@jjtruth3507]

They're working the unmistakable Fosse choreography.

[@mzmiller52]

Oh, I miss when performers had personalities. Makes a world of difference.

[@holdyourhats]

What a concept 😊

[@lamontrussell1524]

I love the joy and body freedom at 5:21

[@JRV95]

Damn, at 50 yrs old Gwen did better than most young performers who portray Roxie Hart. R.I.P Gwen Verdon, we all miss your bright smile and positive outlooks toward life.

[@Pww642]

Chita is gone now too

[@LuvsUlf5]

I can't believe someone else besides my daughter & I question the "clapping @ 5:20"! Every time we saw the Broadway revival, my daughter & I would give each other a peripheral glance at that exact same moment in "Hot Honey Rag" as if we were saying "here it comes..audience applause for rythmically outstretching their arms!" Don't misunderstand,we worship at the altar of Fosse,Verdon,Rivera,Reinking,etc. We couldn't believe the things that wow an audience(it was on cue at every performance)!

[@pumpkinomom4446]

So true!! All of the performances I'm almost waiting for that applause at that moment! I see exactly what you mean!! Why at this exact moment?? It's like they're clapping on cue

[@lenaweeparka]

Applaud-in-your-living-room great. Such magnificent dancers. Thanks for posting this one!

[@sonnet30]

I remember watching this. I think it was the first episode of Howard Cosell's short-lived live variety show a la Ed Sullivan titled "Saturday Night Live." The series we now know by that title premiered the same year as "Saturday Night." No dancers -- not even Reinking and Neuwirth have come close to creating this magic. And they did it 8 times a week.

[@EddieLensweiger]

omg they are the greatest!!! impeccable dance movement, what national treasures!!!

[@BWAY62]

Fosse, Verdon, Rivera! F--- Yes!

[@nealbrice]

WOW!! such perfection!!!!! nothing like this today!!!!!!!!

[@SamSung-nf6tr]

There is nothing like seeing a Broadway show in NYC. NOTHING compares to heaven.

[@guttersnype00]

ICONS!! 

[@JgmPaneque]

Too much greatness for me to handle.

[@gordyCA]

GLORIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing this rare footage!

[@geoswimmer1]

You got it or you dont, and these two ladies have it!! ~~Geo~~

[@larespo1]

My absolute favorite performance of thi incredible song. Thank you, Ms. Collins. Thank you for posting!!!

[@oofahman]

Absolutely fantastic!!

[@KyraChris24]

these women are eternal. brilliant

[@omorado]

It is so great to see the originals! I love you Chita!

[@miltsar]

absolutely marvelous. no other words to describe the sheer delight ht of Verdons performance.. I am still smiling.

[@paymark]

FOSSE VERDON RIVERA The best there ever were!

[@airborne8282]

Sensational.... I remember those white costumes reflected every color of the rainbow coming from the lighting in the actual show. If only the revival had had this integrity and split-second genius.

[@kurtjackberhalter1537]

I remember watching these two live,doing this number during my high school years. I got an adrenaline rush,and have loved them ever since. I got to meet Chita in 1998,and l am still in awe.

[@BillyBobKumar]

And I love the fact that Rivera does a cameo in the movie Chicago -- with those famous legs at 60+! Her leg is in the shot when Roxie first goes to jail. Rivera's character tells her how to keep Mama Morton happy.

[@FelipeViannaNutriUFRJ]

You can recognize a Fosse choreography from MILES away... PERFECT!

[@njatty]

This clip is from the short-lived ABC show SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE with Howard Cosell. This actually was not performed "live from Broadway." It was taped for the Cosell show. The set used was not the Broadway show's set. The hour-long Cosell show started at 8 P.M., the same time as the Saturday evening performance of CHICAGO would have started. But the"Hot Honey Rag" would have been performed about 2-1/2 hours into CHICAGO, as part of the finale. (The ED SULLIVAN SHOW was broadcast live because it was on Sunday nights, an otherwise off night for most performers and Broadway shows.)

[@SymphonyBrahms]

OK, kids, this is the way you do it! Every Velma and Roxie should watch this tape!

[@bmyra]

This is spectacular. Thank you for posting it ryanglitter.

[@willisthrilled]

OMG!!! You're so lucky!!!!! I would have given anything to see them! If only I had been born yet....

[@MARCBSTN]

pure perfection.

[@carwyncymru]

thank u so much for posting this, amazing to see the original velma and roxie.

[@robinycus]

who the hell gave a thumbs down? slap you silly.

[@bmyra]

Wow! Ending with splits! Both of 'em. It's often hard to get one or both to do the flip during this number, let alone getting them both to do the splits. Gorgeous.

[@StevenSeanGarland]

The cartwheel into a full split. In heels. Fucking Christ. ♥🔥♥

[@lag3227]

Perfection!!

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Six Tony Awards Four for Gwen and two for Chita Plus the many Bob Fosse Awards Unique

[@jowandadurham]

Awesome! The best!!

[@hilljayne]

omg!!!! Incredible!

[@TalyaRostova]

This person is trying to be respectful. Why all the downvotes? They are clearly trying to learn. I'm sorry, ronhisap, that people here are being so rude.

[@victordunson719]

Beautiful

[@raramama]

omg Brilliant! Bravo!

[@simeonwitten3636]

i could watch this on repeat all day. Im determined to learn it to the last detail. trained myself to do the splits specifically because of this number. (hardest part is at 4:45).

[@MyErnesto85]

Magistral!!!! no hay mas palabras

[@visionshazy]

AMAZING

[@vasudeva82]

thanx!

[@daiduongdao]

love Chita

[@thisisarandomfandom7444]

I love that they choreography has stayed the same after all this time. Sure the style is a lot sharper and angled now but, the base stayed the same after all this time. If you put Gwen and Chita next to the most recent revival Roxie and Velma, you still see the same dance. Isn't that so fascinating to see the evolution of it over how many years?

[@karlinkahler943]

Visually, this is nightmare fuel

[@willisthrilled]

I wish I could dance like that.

[@coolsweetgroovy]

cool vid love Chita

[@MerlinPrismriver100]

Perfect

[@tarotbear]

I rememebered the original airing of this clip! Even at the time, the announcer says 'Two Moving as One' and at that point the two of them aren't even close. If I remember correctly (showing my age) this clip was 'live from the Broadway Stage' on the short-lived 'Howard Cosell TV Show," Please don't ask who Howard Cosell was! LOL!!!

[@frederickcombs8661]

A lifetime of dancing on Broadway and here we have a fuzzy video about to fade out out on us.

[@zippy3421]

Gwen may have been 50 but Chita was 42. Both impressive ages for splits but if you look closely you can see Gwen's wasn't a full split. Still impressive for someone her age I just found it interesting that they had them do it at the same time when one's was more full than the others. Both are very impressive for their ages.

[@FacheChanteDeux]

She was so close, as a former dancer I can confirm it is pretty much the same skill set. After all she did a perfect cartwheel into split while wearing heels. Gwen Verdon is one of the true Queens of musical theater.

miss this, the video is kinda mess up but still ART

[@TalyaRostova]

Exactly!

[@cafffeinated]

Renée Zellweger never was known as a dancer. At least Catherine Zeta Jones had a background in Ballet! I always wondered if I could find this...too bad the film quality is so bad...but the dancing: AMAZING!

[@ИжикПыжик-к6п]

Well, I think because of that Renee made a good performance of a talentless showgirl, who only became popular because of her murder case. I thought that she faked it in the film, turns out that she did not, but I guess it worked out anyway

[@simeonwitten3636]

there is a video of them doing this as part of a mike douglas interview.

[@robertaglass]

I heard Amanda Knox & Casey Anthony are revising this number...seriously awesome. Amazing.

[@manucagastaldi]

Hello! I´m from Argentina. Somebody can tell me the name of the tv show, and the year of the transmition? I´m doing my thesis from the UNA (Universidad Nacional de las Artes) and I need that data to include it correctly to my work. Thanks!

[@njatty]

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE with Howard Cosell, 11/8/1975 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_with_Howard_Cosell

[@willisthrilled]

Very true. Plus, in the show, they start at "You can like the life you're living.."

[@ivan2881]

wow just wow

[@charlesbower8387]

Richard Korthaze is the announcer. He died not too long ago. He was an amazing dancer, too.

[@unclealand]

Yeah, you are missing something. The dancing in the movie that CZJ and RZ did was shot in about a hundred takes, shuffled around, and edited. It's not done all in one piece, which takes real dancers like Chita and Gwen. You've been brought up on video, which is selected pieces of film put together later. You don't seem able to tell the difference between a whole dance number and confetti.

[@miriamlozano6865]

Exelente

[@ryanglitter]

it's from a show on ABC called Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, which predated SNL on NBC by a little bit. Totally different shows.

[@ryanglitter]

yep, that's the one!

[@grimmistress666]

Could someone please tell me what is with the two different length stockings? This musical has some odd ways of wearing hosiery. Like in the "All I care about is love" song all the girls have one stocking one... what's up with that?

[@PaolaCristal]

[@ChrisChanningChannel]

...which tells you a lot about the way the American film industry works and about the way Chicago was intended to work.

[@kawaiimartha]

Wow?!

[@jrbaskind]

I wish that the video could be cleaned up.

[@MuzzyVanH]

I agree. In the film I'm sure director & choreographer realized they'd need to 'make up' for Zeta Jones, a bit, and Rene even more, and did succeed in tricking the eye w/ some great camera work in conjunction with the visually arresting bulb background, in fact the camera on a boom and background do more moving than the 2 stars in film. Gwen & Chita make the extremely demanding Fosse choreography appear effortless, esp the finale & their set,lights, &c.are no 'help' at all. Cartwheels&SPLITS@50!

[@willisthrilled]

Which "major steps" are you referring to?

[@dosflores1]

Bad quality image but incomparable interesting for all we love verdon and rivera

[@AlmostWorthless]

@unclealand Oh please, if they did the same with Gwen and Chita they would have done the same. Hell, in those days, if they made a film version, they may have used a different actor with a dubbed voice (like West Side Story, where the part originated by Chita Rivera was played by Rita Morena but dubbed in a couple of songs by someone else.) Catherine Zeta-Jones had already proven herself on the British stage. Can't say the same for Renee zellweger, but she did do a good job in the movie.

[@yayshowvids6427]

Prefer Neuwirth and Reinking overall, but these two have the superior finish

[@unclealand]

Great to see dancers doing the roles the way they were meant to be. The movie was fun; they did their best, but CZJ couldn't touch Chita Rivera.

[@grimmistress666]

Yes but I still don't get why that means in this video one of their stockings is longer than the other or why in "All I care about is love" they only wear one stocking. I can't figure out the deeper meaning of that.

[@willisthrilled]

I was wondering, was this actually PERFORMED on the Howard Cossel show, or was it just SHOWN on the Howard Cossel show? Because it says "Live From The Broadway Show Chicago". I'm, really confused.

[@treblemaker24]

how old was Chita in this?

[@bradleyscarton3931]

Chita was 42. Gwen was 50.

[@ryan.engstrom]

Why isn't "Hot Honey Rag" in the original cast album?

[@anonymousposter6671]

Gwen may have invented it, but Bebe perfected it!!

[@vasudeva82]

how old was Gwen there?

[@porterhouse1974]

from all the original version footage i have seen, all the numbers had more kick, the dancing is much faster and had more edge, the modern version is too slow and safe.

[@MuzzyVanH]

Gwen, Chita and Fosse, ALL of 'em at their best! CHICAGO's the only thing worth a ticket on B'way now, though it's a bit less spectacular, as are the other postings of this "Hot Honey Rag" number.You'll note nobody else attempts or successfully executes the Fosse slide steps, ( add rotated pelvis, arms up, open, &c. ), as these great ladies do.Plus, the big finish w/ perfectly placed cartwheels AND splits!!! btw, when this was taped Gwen was 50!

[@ScienceNerd51]

The story is true, she did inhale a feather and got a throat infection, but it didn't end her career. Liza Minnelli stepped in played as Roxie for a month so that Gwen could recover and do the show again.

[@willisthrilled]

They had to cut down several songs and even eliminate a couple to make it fit on the vinyl.

[@shoegal5225]

Um..... well it got your attention. So im guessing youve answered your own question. The point, to spark a conversation.

[@MRchocolateAfro]

Although i do prefer the modern version of "chicago", there's nothing as creative as a fosse number!!

[@zinnycat1597]

hahahahaha i dont remember that from the stage version.

[@ChloeFletcher-gk1fo]

Gwen was in her 50s here, Chita probably too.

[@Mike6E]

I prefer the movie version. This is way too slooow. I think I'm going to lose it.

[@eleanorpowell2007]

That just doesn't happen nowadays! Not anymore. You get the star of the musical really ill for several days and the replacement is no other than Liza Minnelli!!

[@TX1961]

I think that they are both obviously talented. However, I much rather prefer the 1996 revival version of "Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag."

[@beachchaos1863]

This literally looks like an analog horror video LMFAO poor Gwen and Chita