The longest running American musical, and Broadway classic, Chicago makes a return to London, at The Phoenix Theatre, after a short gap. The Kander and Ebb staple has always had the ability to feel like a modern musical, despite having been around since the 1970’s, but does this latest injection of jazz still have the same air of class?
The prohibition era satire follows the fortunes of two vaudevillian women imprisoned for murder, and the resulting ‘razzle-dazzle’ employed by their lawyer, Billy Flynn, to save them from the gallows. In its earliest days Chicago had a lot to say about the concept of a ‘celebrity criminal’, but almost two full decades through this new millennium, and none of it feels particularly shocking anymore.
In true Chicago style, John Lee Beatty’s set is minimalist to say the least, the band stacked up on tiers at the back of the stage, allowing only a limited space for the numerous song and dance routines, giving the production more of a concert feel. Combined with William Ivey Long’s sultry and sexy costume design (there’s a lot of skin on show), this is a production in glorious monochrome.
The return of Chicago sees a stellar cast take to the stage.  Ruthie Henshall, who is no stranger to the production, is a wonderful ‘Mama’ Morton giving the character the hard edged grit it needs. The two central characters, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, played by Josefina Gabrielle and Sarah Soetaert respectively give the criminal women strength of character, despite the plots insistence on making them reliant on the men.
Paul Rider gives us a superb Amos Hart, his rendition of ‘Mr. Cellophane’ is perfection. Similarly impressive is A.D. Richardson as Mary Sunshine, and no one can deny the talents of the ensemble who perform the fantastic choreography with complete style.
The star turn on stage is Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as Billy Flynn. The fact that he has just portrayed the ultimate ‘celebrity criminal’ in a TV mini-series is lost on no-one, and while he gives an engaging performance with undeniable stage presence, his song and dance skills fall a little below the usual West End standard.
Not surprisingly, thanks to Kander and Ebb’s dangerously hummable score, it is the band, under the direction of Ian Townsend, who get the biggest audience plaudits of the night, the rousing opening of act two setting the scene for a little more plot.
The return of Chicago shows us how much celebrity culture has moved on, and this once modern staging now feels a little old-fashioned. That said, it’s still a cracker of a musical, and we still have some of Bob Fosse’s original choreography to enjoy too. On the whole it’s well worth making the time to see this revival, and all that jazz that goes with it.
