Chicago
I had come to the theatre with no clear expectation of the musical. All I had seen were the posters and that didn’t tell me much. I was very pleasantly
surprised indeed. The orchestra was brilliant; swinging, sassy music, excellent dancing.
‘Chicago’ is a fun musical, a little heavy going in terms of plot, yet the inventive staging and exquisite music and cast made up for that. The set was
minimalist - just the costumes and a few necessities. The orchestra was seated on a black tribune in the middle of the stage, with stairs from below
stage in the middle for the performers to make their entrances.
Other than that there were chairs on either side of the tribune. The only other props I can remember where walking sticks and bowler hats for the
leading ladies’ end number 'Hot Honey Rag', a newspaper and the huge white feather things used in ‘All I Care About Is Love’.
‘All That Jazz’ was brilliantly performed by Anna-Jane Casey, who gave a wonderful, sizzling performance. She made Velma fascinating and
absolutely intriguing. I liked Anita Louise Combe as Roxy; great voice, sexy, yet a little too girlish and innocent in my opinion. It might just be the
character though.
One of my favourite pieces was ‘Cell Block Tango’, mainly for the choreography (stretching and leaning about precariously on chairs ;D) and the
funny stories. ‘My Own Best Friend’ was a great number too, and ‘Razzle Dazzle’ was stunning! I particularly remember Jo Gibb in this number. And then
of course the fabulous 'Class' sung by Chrissie Hammond (Mama) and Velma. Superb!
I think the choreography included a few Fosse elements - worked perfectly with the music at all times. One thing though, the volume was too
high now and then so the singers were drowned out and couldn’t be understood properly.
I really enjoyed the 1920s flair, especially vibrant in the music and the sexy, stylish and yet simply costumes. Since they were mostly black, they
almost blended in with the tribune (looming and dark if not for the instruments sparkling) and gave the impression of a smoky atmosphere on
stage (complimented by the lighting).
Marti Pellow was on as Billy Flynn. Gorgeous guy, superb voice - had the act down pat.
I got to see Jo Gibb - as Liz (the woman who gets rid of her gum-chewing husband). I love seeing her perform, she is small and slight, but has a
solid stage presence. Fabulous dancing of course; she was lifted quite a lot, always poised and elegant. I also had the feeling she was enjoying herself -
she was radiant, compelling and she did a great job on the American accent. Her voice struck me as too soft in comparison to the music though.
The greatest treat of the evening was Chrissie Hammond though. The intensity and smoky tone that I had liked about her Grizabella, together with her
manner, movements and perfectly done accent, made her a stunning ‘Mama’ Matron.
The song ‘When You’re Good To Mama’ seemed to have been written with her in mind. She brought a certain cool, yet raunchy, Marlene Dietrich
touch to the role that was just brilliant. Her voice was warm and rough, balanced and perfectly modulated to fit each mood as she sang. I also thought
her acting was great - she created a compelling and incredibly strong stage presence for her character. Bravo!
All in all an enjoyable evening. I must admit that I didn’t consider the plot to be especially witty or engaging - the musical lives off the songs and the
impeccably different choreography. Classy and stylish. Loved it.
Questions, comments and suggestions can be directed to me at
ferngully_at@yahoo.com.