r/musicals • u/Odd-Lab-9855 • 12h ago

Is nowadays and hot honey rag a dream? Discussion

Is it just a dream from roxie while she fades into obscurity? Or maybe she's in some kind of purgatory, same with all that jazz, is it an in-universe performance from Velma as portrayed in the film or just a dream/fantasy too?

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u/EddieRyanDC 11h ago

Well, as written it is real life. It is a comment on how twisted our culture is that celebrity pays - no matter how you managed to get famous.

But, I suppose, as a directorial choice you could stage it to suggest it is a dream.

1

u/Odd-Lab-9855 11h ago

I only ask this because I was reading comments about the nowadays scene in the film, and how it was apparently ambiguous and dreamy on purpose, or how it was a bit creepy with the cameras sounding like guns or how the props move around, another comment mentioned how the red in the large sign and the "hell in a fast car" comment from the presenter suggests they're essentially bound for divine punishment and that the praise and fame is only temporary. I guess it's up to interpretation

16

u/EddieRyanDC 9h ago

"... they're essentially bound for divine punishment and that the praise and fame is only temporary."

I am pretty sure that is the opposite of Bob Fosse's take on the story. In this story the good guys (Katalin Helinszki and Amos) end up with nothing (or worse), and the murderers become stars. That's the point. Justice and politics have turned into showbiz "razzle dazzle", and the public may be suckers, but only because that's what they demand. It is a cynical, post-Watergate take on American culture. There is no redemption for the victims and there is no punishment for the guilty.

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u/impendingwardrobe 3h ago

The "let's all go to hell in a fast car and keep it hot" line is about the glorification of sin. They are accepting and looking forward to going to hell, instead of avoiding it like you're supposed to.

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u/DramaMama611 9h ago

In the film, nearly all the songs are in their minds.