Last weekend Roxie Hart rocked Hollywood as Chicago celebrated their 25th anniversary at the Pantages. I went to see the longest-running American musical and here is what I thought.
Set in the jazz age in Chicago, aspiring chorus girl Roxie Hart and fading vaudeville star Velma Kelly each face trial for murder. Both wish to vie for fame as much as their acquittals, starting a rivalry between the two when seeking the help of shady lawyer Billy Flynn.
The show is structured as if it was a vaudeville performance, with each musical number it’s own act as they tell the story. One of the most iconic examples of this set up is for the song “We Both Reached For The Gun” in which Roxie has her first press conference, but she is nothing but a puppet for Billy Flynn’s ventriloquist act.
For this production, Roxie (played by Katie Frieden) rocked Chicago for sure. She was the highlight of the production and clearly enjoys playing the part and being in the show. Her performance was vibrant, comedic, and overall entertaining. Velma (played by Kailin Brown) was also wonderfully performed. They really embodied Velma Kelly, from the snark to the sass and cynicism.
The entire cast really did a good job and I was entertained throughout. Chicago admittedly does have some lulls in it where I lose some interest, and I do think that some of the staging left me wanting more. In particular, the vaudeville structure that Chicago is famous for felt a little lacking in some parts.
Overall, I enjoyed Chicago more than I expected, largely due to the performances of the two leads. Since this was my first time seeing it, I didn’t know how funny the book is so there was added enjoyment from that. I do wish that some numbers had more vaudeville style staging to really emphasize the jazz era the show is set in.
Chicago is still touring the USA from now through May 2024.