制霸好莱坞

"She's so beautiful!""It would be amazing if I could take this segment home and watch it over and over again. She's so beautiful, it feels like she's glowing!"For a moment, the audience murmured, but soon, the stage lit up again. Observing proper audience etiquette, they quickly fell silent. Velma and Roxy reappeared in the background, and the story moved forward.

Velma's solo double dance, Roxy's pregnancy ruse, and Velma's reluctance during the "Baby" segment played out as expected. The entire show flowed smoothly, regardless of the audience's differing mentalities. Applause came without hesitation. Although it was clear that Roxy's segment garnered more enthusiastic applause, there were no embarrassing boos. Brantley's earlier concerns weren't fully realized. While Velma was overshadowed by Roxy in the dramatic scenes, her talent in singing and dancing held its own. She more than matched Roxy's energy, contributing several numbers that drew cheers.

Soon, the plot reached its dramatic climax. After being released from prison, Roxy and Velma—after yet another tense, imbalanced rivalry—decided to team up and form the "Chicago Murder Sisters." Their first official duet, the iconic "Nowadays," was finally about to make its debut.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Chicago Theater is proud to introduce the debut of a jazz duo..."As the pianist's voice echoed with excitement, the stage slowly illuminated, revealing two figures on the steps—blonde, fair-skinned Roxy, and dark-haired, dark-skinned Velma. Both wore sparkling silver dance skirts, ready to sing the timeless tune: "You can like your life now, and you can live the way you like."

While both had changed into stunning performance costumes for the previous dance numbers, this set was undeniably the most extravagant. Under the intense stage lights, the silver fabric gleamed brilliantly. The audience could tell the costumes were flashy and somewhat cheap, but in that moment, they couldn't deny their beauty—well, maybe it was more accurate to say her beauty. At this point, no one was watching Velma. Though the lights blurred the details of both women, the audience had already realized that Velma's looks paled in comparison to Roxy's.

Typically, people wouldn't openly admit this kind of bias, but human nature is hard to resist. No one, while enjoying a performance, would pay more attention to the less attractive performer for the sake of political correctness. Roxy, with her striking beauty, naturally drew all eyes to her. Even though Velma's dancing and singing were commendable, who would care? It had been over an hour since the show began, and the disparity between the two performers was now undeniable. Even when they shared the spotlight equally, Roxy's star seemed to shine brighter.

Unlike the 10-minute "Roxie," the final performance blended the jazz number "Nowadays" with the sizzling dance, "Hot Honey Rag." "Nowadays" was unmistakably a Roxy-style number—languid, flirtatious, and provocative—quite a contrast to Velma's strong, sultry presence. Jennifer's rendition of the song was casual and restrained, a contrast to her intense performance in "Roxie." On stage, she was more delicate and playful than confident, and this gentler approach was a perfect foil to Dietrich's deep voice and commanding presence.

Under the bright lights, the two women—so similarly attired and similarly built—seemed to complement each other. If you ignored their faces, the performance itself felt equally matched. The two danced with infectious energy, playfully twirling and pretending to shoot machine guns at the audience. Laughter and applause erupted from the crowd, celebrating the glory of these two criminals.

—They did commit crimes, but who cares? It's fun, right?

As the song came to a close, the cast came out to greet the audience, and the performance ended with thunderous applause and cheers, along with a few shouts of "Roxy!"

"Woohoo!" Joan jumped up from her seat, then sat back down, embarrassed. She gathered her coat and bag with her mother and slowly made her way out of the theater, joining the crowd. Yet, her excitement couldn't be contained, and she eagerly turned to her mother. "Jennifer's performance tonight was incredible! She danced so well! The only downside is that we weren't seated closer, so we couldn't see her face clearly."

"Yes, next time, we'll get seats further up front," Joan's mother agreed. Though she was middle-aged and not as excitable as her daughter, she still clapped along at the end of the show, her hands still sore. "Musicals are fun, aren't they? Maybe you should try performing next semester."

"But Jennifer is just so pretty..." Joan's voice wavered with doubt. "And she sings so well, that's what made it so much fun. If it were me—"

Around them, the audience shared their thoughts."This is the best musical I've seen in years.""I think she's even prettier than in the ads. Her first solo was so beautiful!""The second one was great too, her acting was so immersive—Harry, you've seen a lot of musicals, do you know her name?"Jon, unable to hold back, spoke up. "Her name's Jennifer Jefferson."

The people around them looked at Jon with interest, and feeling proud to be in the know, Jon shared with them, "We came to see her performance specifically. She had a guest role on CSI before, and she totally captured our hearts. But sadly, aside from that episode and tonight's show, there's no other information about her."

"That can't be right!" More than one person sounded disbelieving. "She acted so well, like she's been doing this for years. Maybe you just didn't find the right sources. I overheard that she trained Off-Broadway. It's likely you're not familiar with musicals. Oh, and by the way, sitting in the front row isn't always the best. The lights blind you, and the sound is too loud."

Harry, the one who'd spoken up earlier, continued to press Jon. "If you want to catch her again, you should get first-class seats. The fifth row center is great, but you'll need to book early—it's hard to get those tickets at TKTS."

Jon nodded but then added, "Someone on a forum said she worked at a restaurant in Los Angeles before. They saw her a few times, and a few months ago, they swore she was under 21. They didn't have a photo, though, just the word of someone who'd seen her."

"That's impossible," Harry scoffed. "She can't be 21 with that level of skill. You're telling me she's that good as a rookie?"

Jon sighed, "I don't know what to say. There's just no other information."

"Why not ask her yourself?" Harry suggested. "We can wait by the staff exit. Jennifer will probably come out in an hour or two."

"An hour or two?" Jon exclaimed."Yep, it's the premiere. There's sure to be an afterparty. Even if there's not, she'll take a while to remove her makeup. I'm waiting. You coming?"

Although Jon was tempted, he glanced at his mother and shook his head. "My mom and I came together, so we have to leave, but if you ask her, let me know."

"No problem," Harry said, and the two exchanged contact information.

As they took a taxi home, Jon's mother reassured her daughter, "Next time we'll sit in the front row, and after the show, we'll wait by the staff entrance. It won't be a long wait, just ten minutes or so."

"Yeah!" Jon perked up again. She stuffed the paper with Harry's information into her bag and found herself once more excited. "I can't wait to post my thoughts on the show!"

Backstage, critics were treated like royalty. Naturally, they were invited to the afterparty and got to mingle with the cast. Some critics were friends with James and other theater bigwigs, so they naturally gravitated toward each other. The atmosphere backstage was lively, filled with the clink of glasses and loud cheers of "Congratulations!" and "Great success!" It felt like a celebration.

"The applause lasted for almost three minutes. It was so loud—Cats and Phantom of the Opera rarely hear such a reception," Patry remarked, shaking his head in awe. "Did you hear what they said when they left? Even if the reviews are terrible, the box office is going to be a hit just on word of mouth. James made the right call."

For musicals, reviews didn't matter as much as they did for movies. The Schubert Theater was small, with just over a thousand seats, but Chicago was a beloved production. Even with just a few hundred audience members giving rave reviews, word of mouth could easily fill the theater. The effect would snowball, keeping ticket sales strong for a long time.

Yet, despite the success, Brantley wasn't sure he could call tonight a great musical. For most of the audience, the fantastic singing and dancing, plus Roxy's standout scene, were enough. But for critics like Brantley, there was more to the performance."But this isn't Chicago anymore," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's Roxy's personal show now."

Patry agreed. "Poor Velma," he sighed, his attention fully on Roxy. "Has she come out yet?"

The lead actress sometimes removed her makeup before attending the party, so Patry kept his eyes on the door.

"How are you going to review the show?" Brantley asked, trying to keep their conversation professional.

Patry didn't hesitate. "It's going to be glowing," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you planning on writing a bad review?"

Brantley didn't answer immediately. He knew Roxy had given a fantastic performance, but the problem was, her talent had outshone the entire troupe. There was an unsettling disparity that Brantley couldn't ignore. But as a die-hard Broadway fan, he couldn't accept that someone James had promoted so quickly had completely overshadowed the rest of the cast. He needed to process this before making a decision on his review.

"Oh, here she is!" Patry's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He craned his neck toward the door. "She's shorter than I thought."

As Jennifer Jefferson walked into the party, applause erupted. Offstage, she was much more understated. Gone was the glamorous stage persona—she wore a long bohemian dress and flat shoes, looking smaller and thinner than her on-stage presence. She was still undeniably beautiful, but there was a subtle shift. Her charm, the magnetic quality she exuded on stage, was less noticeable in person.

Brantley observed her closely, noticing little flaws he hadn't seen before. In person, her features were more noticeable: her nose seemed too high, her stature a little less commanding. On stage, none of these things mattered. It was her performance that captivated.

But now, seeing her up close, he wondered: Was her acting really that good? Could Velma and Roxy both be characters she had created with sheer skill?

Jennifer was the undeniable star of the afterparty. Everyone was eager to congratulate her on her successful debut. As the night wore on, she was introduced to Brantley and Patry. Despite the rave reviews, she remained calm, composed, almost detached. Her demeanor struck Brantley—she wasn't swept up in the excitement, and though she held a glass of wine, she barely touched it.

"This girl is a monster," Brantley thought, suddenly feeling sympathy for Dietrich. Working alongside someone this talented was every actor's nightmare.

As the party wound down, Brantley felt he had enough material for his review. But even as he walked out of the venue, his thoughts lingered on Jennifer.

When he saw the crowd gathered by the alley, he couldn't help but think: She really is a monster.

And he said it aloud to the security guard, "I tell you, she's definitely a monster."