Musical Review: Chicago

Chicago, Brighton Dome, 16/12/09

It isn’t often I get to see a musical performed professionally on stage. I’m not as big a fan of them as I am of straight Drama, anyway, but I will occasionally go crazy for a tune and a dance routine. I can rarely ever afford to see West End Musical Theatre, though; and yet Drama is always a dime a dozen, even in London: why is that? The last time I did go was when Avenue Q came to London, back in 2006.

Chicago is one of my favourite musicals ever, partly because I was hugely impressed by the sight of Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah and even Richard Gere doing star turns in the 2004 Oscar-winning film. Imagine my glee, then, when my housemate – who conveniently works at the Brighton Dome – invited me to see the touring show for free! A perfect addition to what has been fast developing into my Best Christmas Ever.

However, things went wrong as soon as I asked for a programme. In my opinion, £5 is a lot to ask for what is essentially a book of adverts and promotions with a bit of cast and crew information and director’s notes thrown in. Of course, I didn’t fork out the cash for it, and therefore my references to performers will have to be confined to naming the characters.

All in all, the show was entertaining and enjoyable; but how much of my enjoyment came from my love of the musical, rather than the production itself. The fact is that the performances were pretty dull and uninspired. The force of Chicago lies in the strength of the four principal characters: Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly, Billy Flynn and Matron “Mama” Morton. Unfortunately, none of these performers played their roles with gusto or passion. The satire and burning sexuality with which the characters are meant to brim was absent. Even Gary Wilmot, that classic West End veteran, was pretty boring.

For all my complaints, the blame can only be laid squarely at the door of the director; for it was clearly a mixture of low production values and clumsy choreography which point to the lack of enthusiasm of the director and not necessarily the fault of the cast themselves.

It’s a shame I didn’t leave with a great big smile on my face – by the interval the only word I could use to describe the experience was “underwhelming” – but there were some highlights. “The Press Conference Rag”, “I Can’t Do It Alone” and “Class” were well sung with strong choreography, and most of the show was mildly enjoyable, but the show just didn’t sizzle with the sassiness necessary. Nonetheless, I got to see it for free, so it wasn’t all bad. At least I’m not out of pocket and artistically insulted...