The Bob Fosse musical Chicago culminates in a performance by controversial former rivals Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, now headlining a popular stage show that segues from the nostalgia-ditching “Nowadays” to the exuberant “Hot Honey Rag.” Jennifer Lopez and Shakira aren’t rivals exactly, although they courted a bit of controversy on Sunday when their own energetic Super Bowl performance riled up some stuffy conservatives with its statements about feminism, Puerto Rico, and the children still in cages at the southern border.
Well, earlier this week, obvious musical lover Jason Marks was inspired to set part of the Super Bowl finale to the tune of Chicago’s “Hot Honey Rag.” As he wrote on Facebook: “I mean, frankly, ‘The Hot Honey Rag’ from Chicago and Shakira’s/J-Lo’s dance from last night are interchangeable. Musical theater meets latin fusion. You’re welcome, America.”
Thank you indeed, Jason Marks. His version highlights the incredible choreography behind the performance, while underlining the stone-cold fact that J. Lo and Shakira would have rocked the Jazz Age as hard as they rocked that stage this weekend. We have to believe Fosse and Verdon would approve.