25 – 30 April
For a musical about the nineteen twenties first performed almost fifty years ago, this saucy, snazzy, smarty-pants show sizzles with pure energy. Chicago is known as the Windy City; well, there was a fresh breeze blowing in from the stage last night which almost took your breath away.
Chicago the Musical is the story of Roxie Hart, housewife and wannabe vaudeville singer who murders her lover when he walks out on her. She is sent to the cell block in Cook County jail where she joins six other women accused (mostly correctly) of murder to await their fate. However, Roxie is taken under the wing of the razzle dazzle routine of slick criminal lawyer Billy Flynn as he seeks to get rich (or even richer) by charging the earth to defend the indefensible. The press, jury and poor old husband Amos are all duped and taken for a ride along the way.
Faye Brookes as Roxie portrays the cynical, out-for-what-she-can-get, but ever so slightly naïve Roxie to a tee. She joins fellow inmate Velma Kelly, played with superb pneumatic sexuality by Djalenga Scott. The audience wowed to her movement as she twirled, danced, climbed and strreeeeetched across the stage on incredibly long legs. High kicking needs another description to do her routines justice. And justice is what we want.
The six men and six women playing the chorus and assorted roles are all wonderful. Great singing, dancing, and pure sassiness make sure that the show as sharp as the seams down the stockings.
Original choreography by the legendary Bob Fosse still scintillates in its reincarnation by Ann Reinking, while the book co-written with Fred Ebb hasn’t dated. The jokes and humour have a ‘just out of the box’ freshness that can only be created by a great cast and production. Much of this is down to director Stacey Haynes and the magnificent Musical Director, Andrew Hilton. The ten piece orchestra are simply sublime and one of the strengths of the production is that they are incorporated into the set, directly facing the audience as though in a speakeasy – or a court.
Showbiz royalty is provided by Sheila Ferguson from The Three Degrees fame as the girl’s friendly Matron, Mama Morton, and the show was topped off by Russel Watson’s understudy, Liam Marcellino, who perfectly captured the super confident, con man Billy Flynn. He glides around with an assurance that can only come from someone at the top of his game, and boy is he a worthy replacement.
The songs are to die for, even if the girls want to avoid that particular sentence. What was most impressive was that the show takes its time to deliver the set piece songs. They were never rushed and every last ounce of fun and showmanship was squeezed out.
Jamie Baughan and a surprising B E Wong not only provided more laughs as husband Amos and Agony Aunt Mary Sunshine, but made the show complete.
Tickets are hard to come by for this run in Bristol, but if you like super slick showmanship, then get your jazz together. All That Jazz.
★★★★★
Bryan J Mason 27th April
Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
