Chicago, the bombastic musical about jazz, murder, and fame-at-all-costs in 1920s Illnois, has arrived at the New Theatre for the week.
The plot in a nutshell, is this: sisters Velma and Veronica Kelly have a popular vaudeville act that tours jazz clubs along with Velma’s husband Charlie. However, one night only Velma appears onstage (performing the gorgeous opening number 'All That Jazz') and we soon find out why: she has allegedy murdered Charlie and Veronica in a fit of jealous rage after discovering the two together. On this same night, and interspersed with the opening song, we meet Roxie, a bored housewife and former chorus girl who is having an affair with a furniture salesman named Fred. When Fred attempts to break things off, a betrayed Roxie shoots him.
Both women find themselves thrown in jail, with the threat of hanging looming if they’re convicted. Hope lies two sleazy, greedy, but in their own way, deeply professional individuals: Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, who takes bribes in exchange for making connections, and lawyer Billy Flynn, a smooth-talking celebrity maker who plays the sympathetic press like a violin.
And it’s not all bad: as Roxie discovers, if she can secure an acquittal, the publicity from her case will rocket her to stardom! Perhaps murder, as she muses, really is an art.
What’s terrific about Chicago is the sheer number of both hits and jokes. From snarky lines to physical comedy to the dark humour of the characters’ self-absorption, it’s a deeply amusing show as well as a dazzling one. The costuming here is minimalist and sleek, with nearly the whole cast clad in black (Amos, Roxie’s kind hearted but gullible husband, is put in a dowdy grey cardigan), in a variety of opulent materials: lace, leather, mesh. Lips are red, hair is shiny, and everything sort-of glitters. The ensemble’s dancing is exquisite, both flowing and controlled, and gets the chance to really shine in 'They Both Reached For The Gun'.
As for the two lead performances, they built to something excellent. I think opening night nerves may have been in effect for the first few scenes. While the singing and dancing was flawless, I found Faye Brookes’ Roxie slightly too cartoony to start off with, bringing a shrill edge to a character who already tap dances gloriously on the edge of unlikability. As for Djalenga Scott’s Velma, she seemed tightly wound, almost patrician in her control to begin with, which was a noticeable contrast from her character’s sultry persona. On both accounts however, things soon balanced out: Brookes brought in more sincerity and range as the show went on, and Scott softened the meticulousness into a sort of steely drive that suited Velma.
As Mama Morton, Brenda Edwards gave a spellbinding vocal performance of 'When You’re Good to Mama'. I only wish there could have been slightly more visual interest paid to the scene. 'All I Care About', Billy Flynn’s opening number, for example, involved a troupe of dancers with huge, angelic feather fans, surrounding Flynn in impressive choreography, whereas Morton’s simply consisted of her standing alone on the stage. The only other number to be so pared-back was Amos’s 'Mister Cellophane', but that suited the character’s afterthought aura. Regardless of which, Edwards’ vocals were absolutely soaring, and her comedic timing throughout was a delight.
Elsewhere, Kevin Clifton delivered a butter-smooth, Bublé-esque take on Billy Flynn, with serious dance skills to match. There was an ease and transparency to his performance that made the character more likable: Flynn is fully aware that he's a sleazy spin doctor in it for the money, and doesn’t pretend to be anything he’s not. And we love him, for his shamelessness.
Meanwhile, Joshua Lloyd was perfectly cast as his counterpart in Amos, not overplaying the character’s cluelessness; but simply delivering a portrait of a sincere, unglamourous man in an increasingly corrupt and vain world.
'Nowadays' the penultimate number, has the giddily sentimental refrain, "In fifty years or so/things will change, I know/ but oh, it’s heaven/nowadays”. Perhaps that rang true in 1975, when the musical was written; but fifty years later still, in 2025, things have not changed, or perhaps they’ve changed back: amoral characters spinning notoriety into wealth and fame feels more relevant than ever.
We live in the era of The Kardashians, and the fake-heiress-turned-convict-turned-celebrity Anna Sorokin, and the girl from the viral clip Hawk Tuah, who somehow parlayed a tasteless 15 second video into a lucrative podcast and media business.
“You’re a phoney celebrity” Flynn chides Roxie after one diva-type outburst. It made me wonder what he’d think of TikTok - or, across the pond, the reality star in the White House.
On that note, in the final moments of the musical Roxie and Velma thank their adoring fans (aka the audience), proclaiming ‘We represent what it means to be American” - it was a clever, poignant touch.
Ultimately, this is still a fantastic evening out, rich with character and theme as well as exhilarating music and dance. Chicago, you will always be famous. Get a ticket if you can.