It is a bit of a well-kept secret, but during my younger years, I used to play the violin for many years. Now that I think about it, this was probably what started my love of music so much so that I decided to take it as a GCSE subject in high school. On the music paper that I sat the last question of the test, it encouraged you to showcase all of your music knowledge as you write in-depth about a song. This piece of music is unknown to the students until the exam starts, and so this section can be very stressful for many people, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the iconic “All that Jazz” started to blast through the exam hall. Not only was this a song I was familiar with due to my love of musical theatre, but it was a nice way to end the almost two hours of pure silence. This is why, despite having never seen the film, Chicago and this song in particular will always have a special place on my heart, and so when it was announced that this show would be headed to the Wales Millennium Centre, I knew it was not to be missed! For those like myself who have never seen the 2002 movie starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Step Brothers star John C Reilly. The story takes place in a female-only prison containing some of the world’s most villainous criminals. The story follows two of the inmates, namely Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly (played by Janette Manrara and Djalenga Scott, respectively), who both have big dreams of escaping prison and starring in shows across the country. Through this appeal process, however, they met the renowned lawyer Billy Flynn, who makes the two women battle for his/the world’s attention to gain sympathy and by extension freedom. This results in the two characters trying to essentially one-up each other in order to get the attention that they crave
What I thought was particularly interesting about this show is the fact that it took a much different direction than I was expecting. This production was clearly inspired by the success of shows like Six: the Musical (which you can read our review of at https://rhysreviews.com/2022/09/28/bristol-adventure-experience-review/), as it contained a much more concert-style feel rather than a traditional musical. The often forgotten about band were clearly visible on the stage throughout the production, with the conductor/maestro referenced throughout the show. It might be the musician in me, but I always enjoy when the band are given an opportunity to be seen and appreciated by the audience. In fact, the characters within the show actually demanded their exit music at certain points, leading to a hilarious moment where Amos does this but is completely ignored by the musicians. Similar to the structure of the Les Misérables all-star concert (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2019/12/10/les-miserables-all-star-concert-review/), during this production of Chicago, once the ensemble had finished showcasing their incredible talents, they sat on the side of the stage as if they themselves were also watching the story and the cabaret performance unfold.
Going into a musical like Chicago, there are two numbers, namely ‘All That Jazz’ and ‘Cell Block Tango’ (but more on the later latter), that the audience expects to be a highlight of the show. As previously discussed, the number I had the most knowledge of was “all that jazz” as I had flexed my full music knowledge of during an exam, so this was the number I was most looking forward to. Not only is this one of the most well-known songs from musical theatre, but in this production, it actually opens the show it giving the paying audience first exposure to what they are about to spend the next couple of hours watching. The immense pressure, however, did not seem to faze the cast and crew of this production as “all that jazz” instantly brought the high-energy, Fosse-inspired choreography everyone expects from a show like this. The dancers on stage clearly put everything into making sure that the show started with a bang as they strutted, danced and foss-ed all across the stage, injecting that much-needed energy to start the show off perfectly. On top of the incredible dance talents, this number is also a key moment of the plot progression as the audience learn about the events that led up to Roxie ending up in prison. The team had carefully constructed this number to ensure every member of the audience could clearly understand the scripted scenes, as well as appreciating the incredible choreography, which is not an easy feat to accomplish, but Chicago managed to do this with ease.
The other number that the audience goes into this show expecting to be blown away by is the iconic “Cell Block Tango.” I have to admit that I have seen this number performed countless times at cabaret events, open mic nights, karoke etc, but none of them even come close to the calibre of the live show! The premise of this number sees the other inmates of the Cook County Jail share their stories of how they ended up in the clink with a series of unique and entertaining tales. Playing on the previously discussed concert style injection of this show, the performers talk directly to the audience as they tell their stories, which not only worked perfectly with the style of this show but also allowed each performer to showcase their own unique talents/skills. Told under a collection of spotlights on top of a collection of chairs (one of each criminal), the performers delivered their individual tales while also working together to create a cohesive and easy to follow number. If you have been following our blog for a little while, you will be aware that we have some experience of Hungarian culture and language (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2022/08/09/anglovile-week-two-experience-review/), and so for me it was great to see the classic Hungarian verse/character brought to life on the stage. While this character does not have the best of luck in the show , seeing a lesser-known language being portrayed on the stage can only have a positive effect on both the language preservation and the country as a whole!
I think that , if by some miracle, if I found myself cast in this production of Chicago, the role I would most like to take on would be the iconic Mama Morton, who is the prison warden at Cook County Jail and makes it her own personal mission to look after the inmates. This role is not only one of maternal inclination but also showcases an immense amount of stage presence due to the power she possesses within the jail system. Taking in the role of “the keeper of the keys” in this production was the amazing …. who really played to their strengths by delivering an incredible performance of “when you’re good to mama” with contains the perfect amount of comedy yet allows ample moments to showcase their vocal talents. The creative team on this production had decided that this number would strip back on theatrics, that the fosse-inspired choreography Chicago is known for and the almost cartoonish violence scattered throughout to allow the audience to purely voice on the incredible vocal talents of Brena Edwards who was playing Mama Morton. is clearly a very talented vocalist and has an incredible command of the stage as the audience were transfixed every moment they took to the stage. The more vocally powerful moments of the song were a particular highlight as the performed nailed every single second with their soulful yet tender voice!
If you have ever been lucky enough to meet me in real life, you will be aware that I have a certain soft spot in my heart for big, over-the-topness. This would explain why one of my favourite moments in the show saw Billy Flynn (played by the incredibly talented …) take to stage to try and convince his client at the time to essentially lie to the jury while singing about the importance of including some “razzle dazzle.” Even to non-theatre fans, the words razzle dazzle instantly conjure images of over-the-top production value, which this number delivered and more. With a wonderful array of high-energy dance sequences and even glitter gracefully falling from the sky this number was truly exciting and entertaining to watch. In terms of the story itself, this number was used as a superficial showcase of the world Billy Flynn appears to offer his clients while simultaneously convincing Roxie (his client at the time) to focus on theatrics rather than the truth in her upcoming trial. This offers a satirical yet real view of how some people approach criminal juries with the slither of truth (albeit hidden behind the array of jaw-dropping theatrics) leaving the audience with something to think about as they leave the auditorium. Adding these layers to a spectacle musical performance with an array of amazing theatrics really helped everyone in the audience find something to enjoy while giving the more thought-prone viewers to dissect what was really going on.
One of my favourite vocal performances of this entire show was by the lovable Amos Hart (played flawlessly by Joshua Lloyd), who is the recent incarcerated Roxie’s partner. Throughout this show, we see Amos being essentially taken advantage of by their partner, and the only intimate moments they spend together is when Roxie needs help and/or Money. The presentation of this manipulation victim helped to generate immense amounts of sympathy from the audience which is only amplified by a specific moment at the end of Act One which turns out to be a totally fabricated lie. The fundamental aspect of this character is that he is often forgotten about or ignored, so when he finally gets his own solo the audience is already on the edge of their seat to see what he actually has to say. Since it was announced that Chicago would be heading to the Wales Millennium Centre I have been telling everyone that my first exposure to the musical was via the iconic voice of you’ve been framed and it is starting to feel like a bit of a fever dream as no one remembers this specific episode of an unknown show. The voice of you’ve been framed for almost fifteen years once had his own TV show where he would simply complete things that were on his so-called bucket list. One of the more memorable episodes of this TV programme saw Justin take to the stage in a version of Chicago and perform the iconic Mr Cellophane which was my first exposure to this unique song. While Justin was amazing in his own right, Joshua really showed the audience how this song should be performed by a professional with the vocals themselves being an absolute treat to listen to. While this song has buckets loads of comedy scattered throughout, it is also the moment the audience gets to see how the years of manipulation have affected the character so balancing the comedy with the powerful emotion is a very fine line to balance, but Joshua did it with ease! This only helped to build even more sympathy from the audience, which is a key ingredient for this role as the story progresses. I myself found myself drawn into the character picking out aspects of the character I relate to, and I was clearly not the only one as audience members were visibly close to tears as the number went on, his was a true testament to Joshua’s vocal and storytelling abilities!
One of the lesser-known songs from Chicago, however, is the hilarious “class” where both Velma Keli and Mama Morton are sitting watching Roxie pulling out all her razzle dazzle during their court trial. This number really highlights the lengths to which Roxie would go to gain her freedom by stealing some of tips/tricks Velma had discussed with her earlier in the show. This song, while satirical in nature as a criminal is singing about respecting others, holds a cynical mirror up to society, allowing the audience to reflect on how they act in their day-to-day lives. While the comedic critique of society had the audience in hysterics throughout, the song also allowed both performers to showcase their vocal abilities with the two voices blending beautifully together. This tender and reflective duet offers the audience as unique perspective of the two characters on stage which , until this point they had not seen. This inclusion helps to humanise the characters so that the viewers don’t just think of them as a jail warden and criminal, but instead could easily be anyone going through the jail system in real life.
Overall, Chicago at the Wales Millennium Centre paid tribute to this musical by delivering exactly what the audience would expect from this jazz-infused, roaring twenties-based musical. I walked into this production knowing a few of the songs but even with this lack of knowledge, the show channelled an unexpected focus on the world of cabaret with a unique concert style performance where the band were the focus throughout the entire show. I would rate this production 4.5 stars out of 5!
Rhysreviews 