Chicago The Musical
Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises with John Frost and Fran and Barry Weissler
Esplanade Theatre, Tuesday

Chicago, together with Cabaret, are the dark glinting jewels in the oeuvre of the legendary partnership between composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb.
The cynical heart of this musical is unveiled right from the start. There is an announcement that we are about to watch a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery – all the things we hold “near and dear” to us.
The setting is the 1920s in the Windy City when jazz was the brassy soundtrack of the times and hot-blooded killers grabbed newspaper headlines.After shooting her lover dead, Roxie Hart (Sharon Millerchip) is bundled off to jail where she plots and schemes to escape from the gallows. Another merry murderess, Velma Kelly (Deone Zanotto), finds that the media spotlight begins to gradually shift from her to Roxie.
The thought struck me when I first saw the revival of Chicago on Broadway that if the musical genre did not exist, it would have to be invented for this show, so perfectly did it justify the coming together of theatre, song and dance.
It is hence, for me, the standard to which all productions of Chicago have to measure up. The 2002 Oscar-winning film adaptation had the audacity to cut the duet Class, among other transgressions, and does not come up to scratch.
This Australian version is essentially the same production as the 1996’s Broadway revival which features sleek choreography by Ann Reinking in the style of famed choreographer Bob Fosse.
The ensemble makes a splashy song-and-dance entrance with Velma singing All That Jazz. Black skin-tight outfits sheathe buff male bodies and lissome female dancers to make up what has to be the sexiest chorus in town.
It is a blistering start to an elegantly and energetically staged show with the cast nailing one number after another.
Millerchip was a standout. She could put on a kittenish purr and turn on the coquettish charm and then sing with wild-eyed abandon of her ambition to be in vaudeville. And the tricky scene of her as a ventriloquist’s dummy to lawyer Billy Flynn’s literal machinations in the courtroom was nicely executed.
As the thwarted Velma, Zanotto made you feel her frustrations though not quite with the vulnerability that Bebe Neuwirth (from the sitcom Frasier) brought to the role, which won her a Tony Award in 1997 for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. It would also have been nice if there had been greater chemistry between Millerchip and Zanotto.
The rest of the cast had their chance to shine in individual numbers. In particular, Colleen Hewett impressed with the saucy and sassy When You’re Good To Mama as the formidable Matron Morton who presides over the women’s jail while Damien Bermingham, who played Roxie’s husband Amos, stole the limelight with Mister Cellophane, a number about being ignored.
When Chicago was first staged on Broadway in 1975, it received a mixed reception from audiences unused to the frequent breaking of the fourth wall and the deeply mocking tone of the musical.
We now live in times when the idea of the celebrity criminal barely raises an eyebrow– they probably have their own TV shows – and we can listen to lines such as “murder is a form of entertainment” without flinching.
There is barely a ripple even when Billy sings in Razzle Dazzle: “What if, in fact, you’re just disgusting?/Razzle dazzle ’em/And they’ll never catch wise!”
A musical that dares to snigger at its audience? Bless Chicago’s deliciously dark and twisted heart.
(ST)