In
Chicago: The Musical, Velma was known as some
Vaudeville actress/
dancer, until she fainted from seeing her
sister and
husband having an affair. Velma "woke up" with her hands covered in their
blood, and denied that she
killed them. She was made
famous by the
media, until
Roxie Hart usurped the
fame, and made Velma a
has-been.
Actresses who made this role famous were Bebe Neuwirth (Broadway cast) and Ute Lemper (Broadway, London, and Las Vegas).