Photo by Jeff Busby
Chicago is slick. The show is a well-oiled, meticulously crafted musical. It is highly entertaining, but perhaps at times a little too smooth for its own good because it forgoes grit in favour of glitz.
Photo by Jeff Busby
Despite (or perhaps because of) how tightly drilled Chicago is there are times when the show lapses into self-congratulatory nonchalance. The most obvious offender in this regard was Caroline O’Connor who at a number of times throughout the performance appeared to be resting on her reputation as a great musical performer. O’Connor at these moments seemed more interested in receiving the audience’s praise than fully committing to her role. Fortunately O’Connor’s attitude was off-set by her fellow lead-actress Sharon Millerchip. Millerchip’s portrayal of Roxy Hart was fabulous; sultry, ditsy, manipulative and bitchy by turns. She was compelling to watch and her energy dominated the stage.
The staging for the show was ingenious in its simplicity. The space was dominated by the bandstand with the action and dancing taking place in and around the bandstand and in a thin strip downstage. There was also clever use of a pair of ladders to create alternative locations. The bands presence was heightened by the interaction between lead characters and the conductor. These interactions lent the show a cheeky, irreverent feeling which suited the material to a tee.
Photo by Jeff Busby
The real highlight of the show was the dancing ensemble who managed to very successfully perform Bob Fosse’s unique and rather difficult style of choreography. Nathan Pinnel deserves particular praise because, not only was his technique superb, he also performed the role with his whole body and face. It is a real pleasure to watch a dancer that performs a role instead of just executing the steps. Nathan’s energy stood him apart from the rest, of the admittedly very good chorus, and it was impossible not to watch him when he was dancing.
This is a very, very entertaining show. It is both visually and musically exciting from the first moment to the last. There were several times through the evening when a song or dance number received deservedly loud applause and whistles from the audience. Chicago sweeps you up and carries you along at a fast and furious pace. If you are a fan of musicals you should love this.
