| "Chicago" Reviewed at the Shubert Theater Review updated January 2002 Cast Reviewed: Belle Calaway, Roxane Carrasco, P.J. Benjamin, George Hamilton, Michele Pawk, R. Bean, Eric Jordan Young Chicago first opened on Broadway in 1975. It was a major hit although it was eclipsed by the nearly simultaneous appearance of A Chorus Line which made Chicago's run of nearly a thousand performances seem negligible compared to its history-making run of over 6,000. In 1996 the Encores! series staged a concert version of the score which was such a hit that it was fleshed out for a full production which is still going strong - and going strong is exactly the right way to describe the production in its sixth year. Chicago has been blessed with very strong leads for both the original run (Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach) and the revival (Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton, Joel Grey) and the replacements as the years go by continue to be very strong as well. The current cast has Belle Calaway as the "killer diller" dipso who becomes addicted notoriety after she's arrested for the murder of her lover. She's great on her own but she's even better when teamed with Roxane Carrasco as the reigning queen of convict fame whose dominance of the tabloids is threatened by the newcomers arrival. The sleazy lawyer of the moment is George Hamilton making a very credible appearance while the role of the nearly-invisible hubby of the newly-charged murderess is now in the very capable white-gloved hands of P.J. Benjamin whose "Mister Cellophane" is a vaudeville masterpiece. Vaudeville masterpieces abound in the book devised by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The show really is a vaudeville of songs and skits, each of which adds to the narrative of the simple story these two women in prohibition-era Chicago who achieve celebrity from jail as they await trial on their separate murder charges. The score by John Kander and Fred Ebb (who also are represented on Broadway right now with a great revival of Cabaret) is one of the most exciting, varied and jazziest scores available on Broadway today. The entr-acte here gives competition to the one over at Cabaret. Enough of the style and feel of Bob Fosse's original choreography was retained to make Chicago uniquely exciting. Walter Bobbie's direction was and remains sleek and clearly focused, allowing the telling of the story through twenty scenes, each one a song in a specific genre all moving the story along but, at the same time, commenting on the decadent world of underworld Chicago of the 1920's. Even the ensemble is first rate, each dancer executing the very demanding athletic routines with all the precision they demand. In fact, these renditions of the Fosse style are in some ways better than used to be available next door when the revue Fosse was playing the Broadhurst. by Brad Hathaway, Online Broadway Correspondent |