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| Stacey Harris. Photo: Anne Hudson |
Murder, Tabloid
Headlines and All That Jazz Provide Cool Entertainment on a Hot Summer Night
By Lauren Yarger
Gruesome murders, tabloid headlines and scandal. You
could be watching the news, but this tale is set in the Windy City in the 1920s
and has a terrific score to boot.
Chicago, the Kander and Ebb classic musical with original
choreography by Bob Fosse that took Broadway by storm back in 1975 and is still
running there in the longest running revival in history (it won the Best
Revival Tony in 1996).
One reason this musical has enjoyed such popularity for
so long has to do with that comment about the fact that you could be watching
it on TV news today. The book (by Ebb and Fosse) is based on an earlier play by
Maurine Dallas Watkins, a Chicago Tribune reporter,
who had covered some sensational murder trials where the women accused became
celebrities in the press. She based her play on those experiences, so a plot
that otherwise might have seemed ludicrous is supported by realism.
In late 1920s Chicago, accused murderesses
await their trials. Among them are:
·
Celebrity
of the day, Velma Kelly (Stacey Harris), a former Vaudeville star
who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed
·
Annie (Lauren Watkins), who, upon discovering
her husband was a polygamist, poisoned him
·
June (Carolina Santos Read) who served up her
cheating husband with a carving knife
·
Mona (Daniela Delahuerta), who has “artistic
differences” with her husband’s way of “finding himself” with other women
·
Liz (Sarah Mae Banning), who killed her husband
for popping his bubble gum
·
Hunyak (Caroline Lellouche), who only speaks in
her native Hungarian, and whose only English words are “not guilty!”
They soon are joined by Roxie Hart (Lynn
Philistine), who shot lover Fred Casley (Jason Daniel Rath) before he could dump her. Her milquetoast husband, Amos
(Ian Shain), tries to take the blame for
the shooting when his wife claims she was attacked by a burglar, but changes
his story when he realizes she knew the victim.
The story is covered in a media frenzy led by reporter
Mary Sunshine (operatic soprano Z. Spiegel) and Velma soon finds herself
out of the spotlight now focused on Roxie (unfortunately the real spotlights on
stage, designed by Marcus Abbott often leave the actors in the dark). The
newcomer steals her sensational trial ideas, and even Billy Flynn (Christopher
Sutton), the hotshot lawyer she secured with the help of a bribe paid to
the prison’s matron, Mama Morton (Sheniqua Trotman, who returns to the
Playhouse where she wowed as Effie in Dream
Girls).
As Billy crafts Roxie’s defense painting her as
a poor victim of circumstances and Amos as an unsympathetic husband, another
sensational triple murder committed by Go-to-Hell Kitty (Sarah Mozelle Waxman) threatens to take attention away from Roxie and her
hopes for a Vaudeville career post trial – until she comes up with an even more
sensational twist to tantalize the press and get her picture back on the front
page.
Another reason this musical endures through the decades is
the fabulous score by Kander. Tunes like “All that Jazz,” Razzle Dazzle,”
Nowadays,” “My Own Best Friend” have been a part of the Broadway song book ever
since Gwen Verdon (Roxie) and Chita Rivera (Velma) introduced them in 1975. We
were thrilled to hear Ann Reinking (who had been married to Fosse and won the
Tony for her choreography) and Bebe Neuwirth (who also won a Tony) sing them in
the revival.
Equally, we are happy to hear Philistine and Harris give
them a whirl along with Fosse-like choreography (rolled shoulders, jazz hands, etc.,)
by Todd Underwood, who also directs the very good performances (although Sound
design by Tate R. Burmeister doesn’t allow solos against chorus to be heard
well consistently). +
A couple other complaints:
·
Young Shain is
miscast as Amos. Though he executes the song “Cellophane” well vocally, he is
too nice looking. Amos should be sort of heavy and dumpy so we understand why
the man is ignored by anyone. Shain is rather too attractive to have that
problem.
·
Somehow Billy Flynn
is missing that old razzle dazzle – along with some of the dialogue in this
show, which sounds like it is being delivered by rote. Underwood needs to
sharpen it. A scene between Mama and Velma, for example, as they reflect on the
lack of “Class” people have, should elicit lots of laughs, but instead, it just
gets a few chuckles. In another scene, a secret is revealed, but it goes almost
unnoticed.
Some additional positives (because there are lots more of
those):
A small band directed by Paul
Feyer sits on a platform over the action on stage behind jail cell bars –
kudos to Set Designer Martin Marchitto. Costume Designer creates sparkly, risqué
costumes as well as period clothing and wigs to remind us we are in the art
deco era and not in present day. “Cell Block Tango” is nicely staged and sung.
Do yourself a favor. Turn off the election
coverage and head on over to Ivoryton for some really sensational headlines set
to fabulous music.
Chicago runs at Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton through July 24. Performances are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. $50 for adults; $45 for seniors; $22 for students and $17 for children: (860) 767-7318; www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
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| Sheniqua Trotman. Photo: Anne Hudson |
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