Chicago

SYNOPSIS

Chicago

In 1926 audiences were introduced to a brand new play from Maurine Dallas Watkins, a columnist of the Chicago Tribune who wished to portray a new sensation that was gripping the nation in the 1920s – the celebrity criminal. Through her work as a journalist she managed to showcase the murder trials of cabaret singer Belva Gaerter and Beulah May Annan, popularising the concept and setting the foundations for a new addition to the theatrical landscape.

Her play “Chicago” was a success, playing on Broadway for hundreds of performances and winning many admirers along the way. As a result it would only be a matter of time before it was re-interpreted for a wider audience; enter Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse and John Kander, a directing, writing and producing team that decided to turn “Chicago” into a sensational musical. The results are what we see today – memorable characters performing some iconic musical numbers with expert choreography. It has been so successful over the decades that big names have taken on the lead roles, from David Hasselhoff to John Barrowman, Jerry Springer, Michelle Williams and Bebe Neuwirth. It was even adapted into a movie in 2002, starring Renée Zellweger (Roxie Hart), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Velma Kelly) and Richard Gere (Billy Flynn).

But what is the story of “Chicago”? As one might expect, the plot deals with murder and show business, with characters finding themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and seeking fame at any cost. At the beginning of the show we are introduced to Roxie Hart, a girl who always wanted her time in the limelight but receives it in an unimaginable way as she is thrown in prison for the murder of her husband. On the inside she meets a Vaudevillian performer in the form of Velma Kelly, who killed her sister after discovering her affair with her husband. The pair shape a friendship behind bars, but the two are eager to become big stars and they realise that they are going to have to make a bid for freedom, enlisting the help of their sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn and setting out to make a big impression.

Throughout the show, audiences hear musical numbers that include “Razzle Dazzle”, “All That Jazz”, “Cell Block Tango”, “Me And My Baby”, “A Tap Dance” and “Funny Honey”, amongst others. They are songs that are likely to stay in your mind for some time and amplify the proceedings so that the world of prohibition era Chicago truly comes to life.

“Chicago” is a story that has survived the test of time, being witnessed by countless generations over the years and opening in its current form in the West End in 1997, housed at the Adelphi Theatre before it transferred to its current home of the Cambridge Theatre in 2006. Before its transfer it managed to break records for the theatre, playing for more than 3,000 performances and proving that the show, which has been seen in one form or another for more than 80 years, is still popular with the crowds.

“Chicago” continues at the Cambridge Theatre where it is currently taking bookings until 2010.

Reviews