In the 1960s , Gwen Verdon read the play and asked her husband , Bob Fosse , about the possibility of creating a musical adaptation . Fosse approached playwright Watkins numerous times to buy the rights , but she repeatedly declined . However , upon her death in 1969 , her estate sold the rights to producer Richard Fryer , Verdon , and Fosse . John Kander and Fred Ebb began work on the musical score , modeling each number on a traditional vaudeville number or a vaudeville performer . This format made explicit the show 's comparison between " justice " , " show-business " , and contemporary society . Ebb and Fosse penned the book of the musical , and Fosse also directed and choreographed . The musical version in turn was ( mostly faithfully ) adapted as the 2002 film '' Chicago '' , starring Renee Zellweger , Richard Gere and Catherine Zeta-Jones ; this adaptation won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards
75th Academy Awards
75th Academy Awards
Chicago (play)