Performance Run: Monday 20th to Saturday 25th June 2016

Performance Reviewed: Monday 20th June 2016 (Press Night)

Chicago is in many ways musical theatre defined. Distilled. Purified. 

Some may even say perfected.

It is a confident, sumptuous, charismatic critique of the American dream, the ephemeral nature of show business and the distortion with which the media and press can run rampant. Two women seize their incarceration for murder as the opportunity to make themselves superstars. It cannily pokes fun at society’s obsession with celebrity, regardless of merit (‘Long as you keep them way off balance, how can they spot you’ve got no talent?’) and - crucially - it celebrates and exploits the very medium of musical theatre in order to do so.

The setup and staging of Chicago has always been consciously reminiscent of something akin to a downtown New York jazz joint, and this latest UK tour is no different. The triple-tiered band are on stage at all times, nimble sirens of the ensemble climb up ladders or slide down the staging with nary a harness in sight, and of course there’s the uniformity of the cast wardrobe all in black. The height of prop usage is mostly the odd stool or feather. Deliberately, the show plays out as almost a re-enactment of itself, the kind of no frills, raw, bordering-on-kitschy spotlights and solos show you’d likely stumble upon if you took a trip ever so slightly off-Broadway.

The fourth wall is regularly shattered, and the lines between parody, pastiche and satire routinely blur.

"Chicago knows it's identity, knows what it

is saying, and does so all set to one of the

strongest and most memorable soundtracks

in the history of musical theatre."

And it is all part of what makes Chicago such an enduring success. It’s what has helped fashion the show’s now iconic sense of sultry identity that pervades right through to the traditionally monochrome posters and marketing images (you’ll see there’s no change here there, either). Chicago knows it's identity, knows what it is saying, and does so all set to one of the strongest and most memorable soundtracks in the history of musical theatre.

‘All That Jazz’, ‘We Both Reached for the Gun’, ‘Mister Cellophane’, ‘Roxie’ and the seminal ‘Cell Block Tango’ - very few shows can boast such an enviable line-up of staples. John Kander and Fred Ebb’s music remain as utterly infectious and intoxicating as ever, and are woven into Ebb and Bob Fosse’s sassy book that mercifully retains it’s decidedly tongue-in-cheek nature here that got lost a little in the translation to the big screen. And, as an added bonus for those who are only familiar with Chicago via Rob Marshall’s 2002 Hollywood adaptation, you get the added bonus here of some of the fantastic numbers that didn't make the cut - including ‘Me and My Baby’, ‘My Own Best Friend’ and the almost-made-it-and-should-have ‘Class’, which crucially gives the character of ‘Mama’ Morton (Sam Bailey) a much needed second number.

In fact, there’s very little in this new touring production that has been sacrificed or compromised from the memory of its West End tenure, which came to a close back in 2012 after a 15 year success run. The ensemble are exquisite in every sense of the word - a sea of toned bodies and long legs faultlessly hitting every step, slide, grind or kick, even if Fosse’s original choreography mostly used here is beginning to look a touch pedestrian by todays standards.

Stourbridge News:

It’s still deliciously sexy though.

And weaving in between the superb company are Chicago’s main players for this new tour. Emmerdale star Hayley Tamaddon is a bundle of energy and cheekiness as the show’s main protagonist Roxie, and whilst she may not have the lungs of a classically trained stage starlet, she’s tremendous fun throughout, and again keeps her finger firmly on the pulse of not taking it all too seriously. Sophie Carmen-Jones, contrarily, oozes the precision, presence and stature of the experienced dancer she is, her Velma Kelly erupting from every strut, kick or heel stomp, carrying the character’s innate bitchiness and arrogance through her physicality. It’s a great turn from an actress who has mostly proven herself previously in ensemble or cover roles, and it will be exciting to see what she does next on stage, owning it so confidently as she does here as Velma.

Eastenders star John Partridge goes back to his roots, and it’s clear to see the veteran musical theatre performer is having a great time as the oily, slick lawyer who greases the breaks and oils the wheels to get Roxie and Velma off the hook and into the limelight. If some of his numbers seem to teeter outside of Partridge’s vocal comfort zone in places (and someone turn up his mic!), nevertheless he more than makes up for this with some of the smart character choices he makes. In fact, it’s remarkable there are only 8 years between Partridge now and Richard Gere when he portrayed the same role on film - Partridge’s interpretation of the character is far more youthful, smarmy and cocksure. Which - naturally - works perfectly.

"All eyes are on X Factor winner Sam Bailey

in this, her musical debut... offering a great

take on Matron 'Mama' Morton... whilst also

completely tearing the roof off with her 

crescendo of 'When You're Good to Mama'."

Neil Ditt is suitably put upon and sympathetic as Roxie’s well meaning and simple minded husband Amos, whilst A D Richardson is hysterically funny and on scene-dominating form trembling and mewling as surely one of the best Mary Sunshine’s the show has seen. And all eyes are on X Factor winner Sam Bailey to prove herself in this, her musical theatre debut, and in a very welcome surprise she does just that, offering a great take on Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, imbibing her with just enough grit and salt, whilst also completely tearing the roof off with her crescendo of ‘When You’re Good to Mama’. As mentioned, it’s just a shame the character isn’t afforded more numbers to showcase Bailey’s powerhouse vocals.

So come to Chicago for the music and stay for everything else. There’s a knowing, satirical story at work, some thoroughly enjoyable (if reprehensible) characters, and a whole lot of sex appeal and allure. But it really is the amazing score which offers the explanation for the show’s lasting popularity. This latest touring production may not completely fire on all cylinders - as mentioned some (but by absolutely no means all) of the choreography is becoming a trifle hum drums, and there are probably stronger singers out there who could step into the lead roles (except, arguably, Bailey as Morton). Some of the set pieces could benefit from an extra flourish or injection of life here and there - ‘Razzle Dazzle’ underwhelms, and ‘I Can’t Do It Alone’ feels a little underpowered (through no fault of Carmen-Jones’), but on the other hand ‘A Little Bit of Good’ and ‘Roxie’ are pretty much perfect as character-driven numbers, and ‘We Both Reached for the Gun’ is a masterclass in musical theatre set piecing done right.

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Pushing the minutia and specifics aside then, this latest tour is a faithful, hugely enjoyable re-ignition of the Chicago spark and a sumptuous, decadent and intoxicating sip of musical theatre razzmatazz distilled and no doubt destined to continue to pack out theatres for many more years to come. 

Now someone pass me some moonshine, I’m spent. 

RATING - ★★★★

Tickets: 01902 429 212  / Official Website: click

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here