Hayley Tamaddon in Chicago at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury and Touring
Chicago continues at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury until 16 July and then tours until 26 November 2016.
Rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ goes the saying and it’s one that applies to this slick and sophisticated reinterpretation of John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse’s Chicago which kicked off as part of New York City Center’s Encores series of semi-staged shows and now holds the record as the longest-running musical revival in Broadway history.
I was fortunate enough to see this production’s original Broadway cast back in the late 1990s and the West End transfer that followed. This touring version is pretty much a carbon copy and it works as brilliantly now as it did 20 years ago.
It’s well documented that this dark humoured tale of killer dillers Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly – thriving in a Jazz Age America where murder is entertainment – struggled to find its audience when it first opened in 1975. However, since this production came along, conceived as a vaudeville with the design of both set (John Lee Beatty) and costumes (William Ivey Long) reduced to a sexy black minimum and every attention paid to the tiniest detail of Bob Fosse’s innovative choreographic style (reimagined by Ann Reinking), the producers have never looked back.
It isn’t often that the same production can remain compelling and fresh over two decades, but that is the case here. Not only that, but Chicago’s underlying commentary on a country where celebrity is all and morals don’t matter a hoot surely still has relevance today.
Only in the casting of such a high calibre production can problems be caused, but there are no such hiccups on this occasion. In addition to a stunning ensemble of singer/dancers who ensure Walter Bobbie’s direction never loses its flow, the principal players all rise to the occasion.
None of these characters is particularly likeable – they all have a sense of caricature about them – and yet onstage (less so in the movie version), an audience still finds them difficult to resist. Sophie Carmen-Jones, as Velma, and Hayley Tamaddon, as Roxie, are a big hit as the rival murderesses, singing and dancing up a storm.
While Tamaddon may be best known to a wider audience for her TV soap credits, she looks perfectly at home here. The actress may be small in stature, but she has huge stage presence, and yet still captures subtle nuances of characterisation too.
Carmen-Jones has fewer credits to speak of, but also impresses, excelling both in the sensual intensity of ‘All That Jazz’ and the comedic desperation of ‘I Can’t Do It Alone’.
Also a highlight is ‘Class’, Carmen-Jones’ duet with Gina Murray’s Mama Morton, one of the few ‘still’ numbers in the show, but always one of my favourites. Murray, who has played the Cook County Jail matron in the West End and internationally, reprises the role with ease and offers some of the best vocals of the evening.
John Partridge’s portrayal of sleazy and successful lawyer Billy Flynn comes across as a little too affected in the early stages, almost as if he is trying too hard, but that soon calms down. By the time Act II comes along, he is fully into his stride, with ‘Razzle Dazzle’ particularly memorable.
Also impressive in supporting roles are Neil Ditt’s suitably hen-pecked, self-deprecating Amos and AD Richardson showing off an incredible vocal range as a convincing Mary Sunshine.
The final word must go to a humdinger of an orchestra led by musical director Ben Atkinson, so good that the majority of the audience stayed seated after the final curtain calls to hear their final number.
Lisa Martland
Readers may also be interested in:
Interview – Hayley Tamaddon starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago on tour
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.