Posted by GC on June 28, 2003 at 23:31:02:
In Reply to: Chicago- the show posted by David Mills on June 28, 2003 at 16:11:30:
I played the show this spring with a local college's production. The show is a lot of fun to play. I had the opposite situation from you; I was hired because I double on tuba and electric bass, but the tiny space given to the musicians didn't allow me to use my horn. It might have been for the best, anyway; the singers were not miked, and I would have had a difficult time not playing too loudly for the tiny theater.
The part is a little rangey; it goes from C above the staff to low F. Remember that the parts marked for tuba are in concert pitch, while the bass parts are written up an octave. A lot of the selections are written in F# or F# minor (remember the E#'s). In "Roxie", there are a lot of extended vamps leading to key changes; you'll need to write in the key lines to listen for. If you can situate yourself where you can see the piano part, a lot of cues will be easier to figure out.
The stage show is much funnier than the movie. Parts of it were so hilarious that it was hard to keep my mind on the music. In particular, "Class" and the courtroom scene are a scream. You'll have fun.