Review: CHICAGO at Blaisdell Center

The Windy City has swept onto Oʻahu in a whirl of sequins, feathers, and enough razzle dazzle to power Honolulu City Lights! Arguably the most celebrated production from legendary musical team Kander and Ebb, Chicago the Musical has landed at the Blaisdell Center for an eight-show run that delivers a mesmerizing blend of powerful vocals, top-notch dancing, and an evergreen send-up of the American justice system. Based on a play by the same name written almost exactly 100 years ago, Chicago was revived twenty years after its initial run on Broadway and has not stopped shimmying since. And with such memorable tunes as “All That Jazz”, “When Youʻre Good to Mama”, “Cell Block Tango”, and the fabulous “Hot Honey Rag”, itʻs easy to see why this show has enjoyed so much success year after year.

I have been fortunate to catch several iterations of Chicago over the years, and the cast currently treading the boards at Blaisdell is one of the strongest I have ever had the pleasure to see. Claire Marshall as Velma Kelly and Ellie Roddy as Roxie Hart lead the company of talented performers as their quests for freedom and fame intersect and intertwine. Ms. Marshall serves up Jazz Age femme fatale with style, showing off the full range of her chops in numbers like “I Canʻt Do It Alone” and the iconic “All That Jazz”. Ms. Roddyʻs Roxie is a bubbly, vapid, and manipulative dreamer, and her comedic prowess is evident throughout, shining especially brightly in “Funny Honey” and “Roxie”. Max Cervantes as the debonaire and amoral lawyer Billy Flynn was pure charm in a suit, his smooth, rich baritone casting a spell in “All I Care About”, accompanied by a bevy of beautiful chorines orbiting him with feathered fans. J. Clanton was a surprising delight as reporter Mary Sunshine, showing off a beautiful operatic soprano voice in “Little Bit of Good”. Longtime Chicago alum Illeana “illy” Kirven commanded the stage both with her phenomenal vocals and sheer stage presence. The mana she brings to the role is potent, and there was a palpable buzz of excitement whenever she entered the scene. But it was Marc Christopher as Roxieʻs beleaguered husband Amos Hart who completely stole the show for me, and was clearly the crowd favorite, judging by the rousing applause he received at curtain call. Channeling Richard Kind by way of Uncle Fester, he was both sympathetic and outright pathetic, lovable and schlubby, with a knack for clowning that would make Groucho Marx proud. He had the entire audience in the palm of his hand with his rendition of “Mr. Cellophane”, and we couldnʻt help but fall in love. I also have to applaud ensemble member John England as The Jury—literally every member of the jury—for his impeccable timing and snappy costume changes.

Though the set is little more than a bandstand and a couple of ladders, the cast and orchestra uses it to great effect, with clever entrances (notably Amy Knips as Go-to-hell Kitty) and exits, all punctuated with warm lighting and excellent use of shadows and atmospheric lighting drops. Conductor Andy Chen even gets to get in on the action, interacting with the performers throughout and adding an extra layer of delightful schtick to the vaudevillian structure of the show.

Despite the show being half a century old, and set fully a century ago, it remains relevant in both entertaining and sobering ways, a hallmark of a classic Kander and Ebb show. Much like Cabaret that preceded it and The Scottsboro Boys that followed it, Chicago shines a literal and figurative spotlight on the dog-and-pony show that Justice and Freedom often become in times of political and cultural upheaval. Though Chicago wraps the social commentary in black lycra and glitter, it continues to echo our current cultural climate in ways that feel both eerie and validating. But ultimately, you will leave the theatre slinking à la Fosse to your car, Googling “where to buy a bowler hat”, and, well…