Mr. McAnuff said that even second-tier shows can work if the producer or director has '' a wonderful performance you want to capture , '' citing Matthew Broderick in '' How to Succeed '' -- '' or a need to make a musical apply to your life and times and make it relevant , '' citing the success of '' Chicago , '' a dark 1975 comedy by Fred Ebb , John Kander and Bob Fosse that struck a chord with 1990 's Broadway audiences . ''