company of Chicago.
Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
Dear Readers, if you’re a die-hard musical theater nerd like me, there are certain shows that just feel like a warm hug. A comfort show that you can go to (and have) over and over that just make you happy. For me, along with the likes of “Mamma Mia”, “Little Shop of Horrors”, and “Hairspray”, we have the Kander and Ebb classic, “Chicago”. I know it backwards and forwards (having worn out the CD of the Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking revival) and I’ve seen it many times over the years, some with casts showing how the show can be amazing. I still remember Bianca Marroquín flooring me as Roxie. So, when the tour comes through town again, I say “yes please”. And while this was still my little slice of comfort food, and while some elements were fantastic, this production just missed that little something “extra” to make it sparkle.
It's still that story of “murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery – all those things we all hold near and dear to our hearts” as we enter the Cook County women’s correctional facility that houses murderesses like the infamous Velma Kelly (Claire Marshall), and is run with a velvet hammer by Matron Mama Morton (Illeana “illy” Kirven). But Velma’s star status is thrown for a curve when newcomer Roxie Hart (Ellie Roddy) comes in and steals the spotlight, and the best lawyer in town, Billy Flynn (Max Cervantes). But will either of them be found innocent at their trials or be hanged for their crimes?
in Chicago.
Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
So, it is still the same show, mostly, but felt a bit watered down and tired. The staging and the incredible Ann Reinking/Bob Fosse choreography is still there. The cast is still stacked full of sexy, tight bodied dancers wearing those skimpy, tight, black outfits. And the band is still on stage and part of the action (although the band was one area that felt smaller and tamed down). No, that “extra” that was lacking for me was in the characters. The show is a larger-than-life spectacle with larger than life, and sometimes over the top characters. But I wasn’t getting that from everyone. Roddy had a decent voice but didn’t wow and lacked the pizazz I expect from Roxie. Marshall had a great voice and legs for days but too lacked that certain something. I will say that she did shine in some numbers, but that energy wasn’t consistent. Cervantes had a great voice but also lacked the character I’ve come to expect from Billy. He just didn’t have that swagger and confidence.
My saving graces for the show came in the form of Kirven as Mama and Marc Christopher as Roxie’s meek husband Amos. Kirven had the pipes and attitude and brought the place to its knees. And then there was Christopher. He’s got one number to really show his stuff and show it he did. That is a man who knows how to build a song and put the audience in the palm of his hand. He owned us.
But as good as they were, the show still felt a little lackluster for me. And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give the National Tour of “Chicago” at the 5th Avenue Theatre a “still a favorite but not a thriller diller” YAY-. I’ll just have to live in my memories of those great experiences of yore.
“Chicago” performs at the 5th Avenue Theatre through November 2nd. For tickets or information, visit Seattle Theatre Group online at www.stgpresents.org.
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