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Scene 9 The courtroom. At rise: The same as Scene 8, except three REPORTERS have come in to the courtroom to hear the verdict. Music under. BILLY crosses to ROXIE. JUDGE: Order! Order! Order in the Court! Thank you. Members of the Jury. Have you reached your verdict. THE JURY: We have, your Honor. JUDGE: Will the defendant please rise? And what is your verdict? THE JURY: We, the Jury, find the defendant… (Gun shots and a scream off stage cover the Foreman’s announcement of the verdict. Enormous confusion and shouting in the wings – a REPORTER rushes in.) REPORTER: (Excited.) Oh my God! You should see what’s going on out there! There was this divorce action and this babe shot her husband, his mother, and the defense attorney. There is blood all over the walls. It’s terrible. But what a story! (The stage clears quickly except for BILLY and ROXIE.) ROXIE: (Running after the REPORTERS.) What the hell happened? (Crossing back to BILLY.) BILLY: You were found not guilty, that’s what happened. ROXIE: Who the hell cares about that? BILLY: I saved your life. ROXIE: Where are all the photographers – the reporters? The publicity? I was countin’ on that. BILLY: You know, your gratitude is overwhelming. But forget it, I’m only in it for the money anyway. ROXIE: Yeah, you get five thousand dollars and I wind up with nothin’. BILLY: You’re a free woman, Roxie Hart, and God save Illinois. (To the Bandstand. ) My exit music please. (We hear the strains of "ALL I CARE ABOUT." The Fan Dancers enter to escort BILLY off.) BILLY & FANDANCERS: ALL I/HE CARE/S ABOUT IS LOVE (They walk off. AMOS enters, crosses to ROXIE.) AMOS: Roxie? ROXIE: What do you want? AMOS: I’d like you to come home. You said you still wanted me. I still love you. And the baby. Our baby… ROXIE: Baby? Jesus, what do you take me for? There ain’t no baby! AMOS: There ain’t no baby? ROXIE: That’s right. AMOS: (Long beat.) Roxie, I still love you. ROXIE: (Ignores him – sadly to herself.) They didn’t even want my picture. I don’t understand that. They didn’t even want my picture. AMOS: (Starts to exit. Calls up to bandstand.) My exit music please… (Orchestra doesn’t play.)... Okay. (AMOS shrugs and shuffles off) ROXIE: (Speaks to no one in particular.) gone… it’s all gone... "NOWADAYS" ROXIE: IT’S GOOD, ISN’T IT? GRAND, ISN’T IT? GREAT, ISN’T IT? SWELL, ISN’T IT? FUN, ISN’T IT? NOWADAYS THERE’S MEN, EVERYWHERE JAZZ, EVERYWHERE BOOZE, EVERYWHERE LIFE, EVERYWHERE JOY, EVERYWHERE NOWADAYS YOU CAN LIKE THE LIFE YOU’RE LIVING YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU LIKE YOU CAN EVEN MARRY HARRY BUT MESS AROUND WITH IKE AND THAT’S GOOD, ISN’T IT? GRAND, ISN’T IT? GREAT, ISN’T IT? SWELL... (Music swells as ROXIE walks off. The set begins to change, the music swells. We hear a Master of Ceremonies speaking from the Bandstand.) ANNOUNCER 1: Ladies and gentlemen, the McVickers Theatre, Chicago’s finest home of family entertainment, is proud to announce a first. The first time, anywhere, there has been an act of this nature. Not only one little lady, but two! You’ve read about them in the papers and now here they are – a double header! Chicago’s own killer dillers – those two scintillating sinners – Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. (We see ROXIE and VELMA with top hats and canes. Fade out on ANNOUNCER. ROXIE and VELMA walk forward. Drum doors close.) "NOWADAYS" ROXIE & VELMA: YOU CAN LIKE THE LIFE YOU’RE LIVING YOU CAN LIVE THE LIFE YOU LIKE YOU CAN EVEN MARRY HARRY BUT MESS AROUND WITH IKE AND THAT’S GOOD, ISN’T IT? GRAND, ISN’T IT? GREAT, ISN’T IT? SWELL, ISN’T IT? FUN, ISN’T IT? BUT NOTHING STAYS IN FIFTY YEARS OR SO IT’S GONNA CHANGE YOU KNOW BUT, OH IT’S HEAVEN NOWADAYS (Music continues. Bandleader whistles) ROXIE & VELMA: WA, WA, WA ETC…. AND THAT’S GOOD, ISN’T IT? GRAND, ISN’T IT? GREAT, ISN’T IT? SWELL, ISN’T IT? FUN ISN’T IT? BUT NOTHING STAYS IN FIFTY YEARS OR SO IT’S GONNA CHANGE YOU KNOW BUT, OH IT’S HEAVEN NOWADAYS “MARY SUNSHINE“: Okay, you babes of jazz. Let’s pick up the pace. Let’s shake the blues away. Let’s make the parties longer. Let’s make the skirts shorter and shorter. Let’s make the music hotter. Let’s all go to hell in a fast car and KEEP IT HOT. (ROXIE and VELMA dance until their turn seems to have come to an end. Two men bring in bouquets of flowers, hand them to ROXIE and VELMA, then exit. VELMA puts her hand up to the audience for quiet. She addresses the audience as ROXIE stands, shyly, beside her.) VELMA: (To the audience.) Thank you. Thank you. Roxie and I would just like to thank you for your faith and your belief in our innocence. ROXIE: It was your letters and telegrams and words of encouragement that helped see us through our terrible ordeal. (As orchestra plays the Battle Hymn of the Republic.) VELMA: You know, a lot of people have lost faith in America. ROXIE: And what America stands for. VELMA: But we are the living examples of what a wonderful country this is. ROXIE: So we’d just like to say thank you and God Bless you! VELMA & ROXIE: God Bless you. Thank you and God Bless you…God be with you. God walk with you always. God Bless you. God Bless you. (Music up. CHORUS: Singing:) CHORUS: OH I’M NO ONE’S WIFE AND OH I LOVE MY LIFE AND ALL THAT JAZZ.... THAT JAZZ (they bow) THE CURTAIN FALLS |