LUST, LADY KILLERS AND LUCRE
Chicago is back in town
She’s reason enough to switch off the Wi-Fi and head to the theatre
● The first time I watched the local showing of killer American musical Chicago over a decade ago it blew my socks off.
But would the Joburg return of the world’s second-longest-running song and dance act after Phantom still have All That Jazz?
That was on my mind as I made my way to the Teatro theatre at Montecasino in Fourways on Thursday night.
Walking along the cobblestone pathway of the casino-cum-entertainment complex I spot the woman famed for having brought acts from The Rolling Stones to Pavarotti to our shores, the South African producer of the razzle dazzle outing set in the 1920s.
That’s Hazel Feldman, who points out that many of the original South African cast who now tread the boards from New Zealand to China are back, including Ilse Klink as brassy prison warden Matron “Mama” Morton and KJ Haupt as the scribe Mary Sunshine.
Samantha Peo, who last time round took the Roxie Hart lead role, now plays her rival, vaudevillian murderess Velma, while Craig Urbani makes a comeback as smooth criminal lawyer Billy Flynn.
As I move inside I pass a trio of Miss Earth pageant girls and a couple of old faces like Dorianne Weil, who used to be a household name as media psychologist Dr D, and stillsprightly septuagenarian pantomime king Tobie Cronje.
In the foyer, I greet a woman who is to TV what Hazel is to stage, and that’s Kee-Leen Irvine, who, along with husband Duncan, has a slew of shows like Come Dine with Me, SA’s Got Talent and even the Hungarian version of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here under her belt.
Kee-Leen, though, keeps mum when I ask her about another of their spectacles, Project Runway, now that production partner Khanyi Dhlomo’s media empire has seemingly nose-dived.
Instead, the TV supremo reminds me that Salome Sechele, who judged a handful of seasons of another Rapid Blue outing, Strictly Come Dancing, was also part of the original South African Chicago cast.
Then it’s hello to social bunny Taryn Louch, who shows off her diamantéstudded fishnet stockings when I lament that everyone has stuck to the dark part of the night’s dress code: “1920s or black with a touch of white and/or red”.
Sombre black is also the attire of Carolyn Steyn, who celebrates her birthday next month.
“Will Douw be joining us [at your party]?” I ask the 67 Blankets knit-wit about her elusive billionaire husband, to which she coyly responds: “He might …”
Luckily, someone who opted for something more along the lines of the flapper style with her purple felt cloche was Hlubi Mboya, who many will remember as Nandipha on Isidingo back when the soapie was worth watching.
Hlubi is there with her hubby Kirsten Arnold and tells me we will soon be seeing her name in lights again — she’s starring in the upcoming flick I Am All Girls, directed by Donovan Marsh, the filmmaker behind iNumber Number and the Spud movies. He’s now based in Hollywood.
You’ll want to know about the musical, though, and I can tell you that Netflix ain’t got nothing on the thrill of watching talented thespians pour their hearts out on stage as they tell a toe-tapping and titillating tale about lust, lady killers and a lucreloving lawyer.
Ilse hasn’t lost her edge, Carmen Pretorius sizzles as Roxie Hart and, thanks to his new sobriety and gym regime, Craig’s Billy is even better than a decade ago.
But for me, the true star is Samantha — whether she’s Roxie or Velma doesn’t matter. From her hip-swinging sassiness to her soaring voice, she’s reason enough to switch off the Wi-Fi and head out to the theatre.