A razzle-dazzle show in ‘Chicago’
The famous musical “Chicago” has razzle-dazzled audiences for decades, and Ridley College’s recent teenage adaptation certainly has all that jazz.
“Chicago” follows the journey of two vaudevillian murderesses and their real-life trials, with both women willing to do anything to rise to fame.
The two-act musical brought the Roaring Twenties to the stage with brilliant costumes, clever lines and a satire of America suitable for the whole family.
The Ridley College cast had excellent synergy, demonstrated through countless onstage costume changes and high-energy music numbers.
Shakeela Vahdat and Jules Idigbe had stellar performances in the roles of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, respectively — two criminals competing for freedom and stardom. Their ability to sing powerful solos paired with well-choreographed dance numbers and snappy dialogue created an immersive theatre experience grounded in song and dance.
In the famous “Cell Block Tango” number, Vahdat and Idigbe, joined by fellow murderesses TJ Goertz, Charlotte Collins, Faith Sauntry, Ines Ahrazem Valladolid and Jocelyn Wang earned thunderous applause as they strutted across the stage, justifying their crimes with hilariously tortured logic.
The male lead, Billy Flynn, played by Alex Bergshoeff Roman, is a sleazy lawyer who used the deteriorating situations of the two women to his own advantage. Bergshoeff Roman’s ability to sing with comedy and finesse was showcased in the numbers “All I Care About is Love” and the showstopper “We Both Reached for the Gun,” where Roxie’s criminal defence case is fashioned by Billy, who uses Roxie as a ventriloquist doll.
Despite this performance having mature themes of murder and mayhem, the Announcer, played by Andy Wen, delivered hilarious deadpan jokes one after another, consistently entertaining the audience with his gallows humour. This was a wonderful, and unexpected, highlight of the show.
The pit orchestra was a definite standout of this performance.
Situated underneath the stage, the small group of 12 students performed soundtrack-level music live with nigh-on perfect timing to the choreography above them.
Some musicians were switching between multiple instruments throughout the performance such as Sky Jiang, who played the soprano, tenor, and baritone saxophones, or Cora Wang, who played a flute and piccolo part that was transposed from another instrument. The live orchestra added drama and authenticity to the performance by providing adaptable and energetic music to each dance number.
The minimalist set design successfully used a creative interpretation of lighting to focus attention on plot development, indicate the mood of the scene and create suspense, such as a dramatic change in lighting when a gunshot rings out. The lighting team deserves a special shoutout for the perfectly timed background colour changes throughout the production.
Ridley College’s production of “Chicago” was perfect for fans looking to appreciate a classic musical, delivered with jazz and energy.