Review: CHICAGO Sensualizes Murder

When I first heard that a Catholic college, Saint Mary's College to be exact, was putting on the musical Chicago, I was skeptical. Knowing that Chicago is quite the risqué musical with all types of salacious subject matter, I wasn't quite sure how they were going to pull it off. Well, let me be blunt, Saint Mary's did not look very Catholic this past Saturday night when I saw the second showing of the musical. They put zero restrictions on how far they were willing to go to make sure Chicago was done properly. I applaud that, not only because musicals and plays should be performed how they were originally intended, but because it was done extremely well.

The musical, is based on the play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The musical follows Roxie Hart after she has murdered her lover and is sent to Cook County Jail. She meets Velma Kelly, a vaudevillian who murdered her husband and sister after discovering their affair. From there on out, the story follows the two ladies as they navigate the corrupt prison system and wait for their court dates. They meet a slew of interesting characters, all wrapped up in wonderfully upbeat and peppy musical numbers that is simultaneously dark in nature. It's a sexy show with incredibly addictive songs that you'll be humming to yourself for days after. Saint Mary's did a perfect job creating this naughty but dark world through exquisite production quality and a huge ensemble to boot.

It's sometimes the "little things" that make a show, and this one was full of them. As you waited in line for a ticket, a group of men and women dressed in scantily clad lingerie and perfectly executed theatrical hair and makeup, were selling candy to patrons and stuffing the money in their bras. Men and women were both subject to catcalling. As soon as I saw that, I knew Saint Mary's was going to do their best to up the ante on what patrons should expect from the show. What a wonderful way to get people excited! There are "little things" like this that play throughout the show, but there are also the larger aspects that impressed as well. While not the fullest stage, the dramatic lighting schematics made up for any emptiness. The empty stage accommodated the massive cast. There was always something, somewhere, going on... and when they all sang together, there was no mistaking the power behind their voices. There must have been a costume change for the entire cast almost every scene change, and each costume was beautifully detailed, raunchy, era-appropriate, and comical. Altogether, the production quality made the whole show seem like a dream sequence, where everything is grand and anything is possible.

The real knockouts of the show were the performers. Katie Nelson played Roxie Hart, one of the main murderesses. While Nelson performed better with time (it felt like it took her until about halfway into the show to really get into the character) at the end of the day Nelson portrayed Hart's young but not naïve, selfish, and desperate character convincingly. Nelson's voice was incredible and key to her successful portrayal of Hart.

Mark Kosten played Billy Flynn, who was able to depict the women's lawyer as both dapper and scuzzy. Kosten was fastidious in his delivery of lines, dancing, and singing. Never dropping energy or good pacing, Kosten was a phenomenal performer to watch.

Sarah McKevitt played Velma Kelly and can only be described as a superstar. McKevitt did it all: top-notch singing, dancing, and acting. McKevitt had complete control of her body and voice, and was flawless in her deliveries. McKevitt was perfectly cast for the character Velma, who was once a performer, because McKevitt could be a professional performer herself.

Justin Williams played Amos Hart, Roxie's dim-witted husband, and despite being on stage for only a few scenes, he was most likely the audience-favorite of the entire show. Williams portrayed a character whose voice sounded like a constantly sad man who keeps having his hopes dashed. Williams never faltered in being clear in his deliveries and never slouched on his acting skills. Indeed, Williams performed the most immaculate song of the night, "Mr. Cellophane," which was as morose as it was beautiful. Williams did not even need his own "exit music" (a running joke throughout the show) as the entire audience immediately gave him roaring applause upon the end of his final exit.

While the show was not perfect (there were more than a few mic flubs, dialogue scenes that dragged, some egregiously out of sync dancing, and trouble finding lighting to stand in), the show was more than entertaining to watch and an extremely impressive feat. While the show is closed (there were only three performances), check out Saint Mary's for future productions that will hopefully be this high-caliber.

Photo Credit: Photos sent by Mark Abram-Copenhaver

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