Production’s turbulence entertaining, timeless
Nowadays, “Chicago” seems more bitingly modern than ever.
The electric national tour, which opened Tuesday to applause and laughter at the Palace Theatre, offers a welcome reminder that the best works of musical theater speak directly to our deepest hopes and fears.
Upset about the apparent prevalence of greed, exploitation, violence, treachery and all that jazz?
Disappointed by the shortcomings of the criminal-justice system?
Worried about “fake news” and officials who don’t seem to care about facts?
Although set in the late 1920s, “Chicago” aptly mirrors such 21stcentury concerns.
Exhilarating in its cynical humor and seductive subtext, the dark musical tells a cautionary fable about how the wicked prosper, the innocent suffer and the guilty — in this case, two women — sometimes get away with murder.
Lana Gordon, Dylis Croman and Eddie George nimbly lead the assured cast through the vaudeville-stylized saga.
As smooth shyster Billy Flynn, George, the Columbus football favorite, earned his big entrance applause with a charismatic performance.
Croman added ironic nuance and baby-doll cuteness to the pivotal role of Roxie Hart, an impulsive housewife who kills her lover, manipulates her husband and still dreams of stardom.
Gordon was brash, sexy and commanding as Velma Kelly, Roxie’s prison rival for the attention of Flynn and the media.
Their songs were dazzling — especially Velma’s “I Can’t Do It Alone,” Roxie’s “Me and My Baby,” Billy and Roxie’s “We Both Reached for the Gun” (strikingly enhanced by the ensemble), and the female-lead duets “Nowadays” and “Hot Honey Rag.“
Paul Vogt was endearing as Roxie’s sad-sack husband, Amos, winning the audience’s heart in “Mister Cellophane.”
Jennifer Fouche’s blithe Matron “Mama” Morton, D. Ratell’s over-the-top sobsister reporter Mary Sunshine and Matthew Winnegge as the easily manipulated Jury all seized their moments to shine.
“Cell Block Tango” nimbly showed off the female ensemble, with Gordon joined by Lauren Gemelli, Tiffany Mellard, Laura Oldham, Sophie Lee Morris and Celia Mei Rubin (touching but tragic as the sole embodiment of innocence onstage.)
One terrific and iconic musical number follows another in the razzle-dazzling score by composer John Kander and authorlyricist Fred Ebb.
The onstage orchestra, led by Robert Billig, captures the jazzy, erotic and satirical undercurrents of the propulsive music.
Director David Hyslop and choreographer David Bushman re-create the stylish blocking and sinuous movements of the original Broadway show and the stripped-down revival.
The power and precision of the choreography remain especially potent in this tour, a tribute to Bob Fosse’s legacy.
Two generations after the original opened and a generation after the Broadway revival began its record-breaking run, the landmark hit resonates as perhaps the signature musical of our turbulent era.