Chicago

Welcome to the 1920’s era of booze, jazz, murder, greed, corruption… (well, you know the rest! Jazz hands!).  

For their final season of the year, Fab Nobs present Chicago, a musical that requires all performers to be triple threats in order to maintain the fervent musical numbers and stylized flair of the script.

Director Owen James created an ensemble of performers perfectly suited to each and every role. There was not one single weak link, with all working in total harmony. James created a visually spectacular staging of Chicago (the lighting design by Jason Boviard was exceptionally well done) full of bravado and sass.

The female and male ensemble, scantily clad in black, worked the entire stage with ease. The exceedingly tricky choreography in parts, coupled with the demands of singing, could have been a misfortune; Musical Director, Sally McKenzie and Choreographer, Robert Mulholland, worked the cast skillfully, and created a complete visual and vocal harmony.

The modern, yet Fosse-esque choreography was exceedingly demanding on the cast, but each performer found their own way to sit into the style and it worked on the small Fab Nobs stage brilliantly.

I don’t think I have ever seen a person more suited to a specific role than Peter Garratt. As Amos Hart, he was the dutiful and loving husband, willing to take the fall for his scandalous wife Roxy. His rendition of ‘Mr Cellophane’ bought a collective sigh from the audience; as he lowered his head and walked off the stage the entire audience was right there with him, feeling sorry for the pain that he had gone though his entire life.

The ‘merry murderess’ duo that is Velma and Roxy was magnificently played by Nadia Gianinotti and Elise Cavallo, respectively. The two ladies bounced off each other with comfort and aplomb.

Gianinotti was perfectly pitched within the role and had the pizazz and gumption to bring the bold and brash character to life. Her performance seemed effortless, there was not one instance that I felt she lacked. And those high kicks - WOW!

Cavallo showed the multifaceted side of Roxy with ease. She was graceful in her acting, and dynamic in singing. Her expressive face, especially in the song ‘We Both Reached for the Gun’ allowed the character to be seen as a single dimension, but also multi dimensional at the same time.

Stuart Bruce certainly stole the limelight as Mary Sunshine (and others). Bruce is one of the best character actors I have seen in a long time.

Too bad that you can’t get tickets to see the show, because its SOLD OUT! Fab Nobs even added three extra shows, and those tickets are completely gone too!

(Thank you for the B. Flynn business card.  I shall hold onto it in case I am in need of a ‘Ladies Lawyer’!)

Make sure you keep track of Fab Nobs Theatre, they never disappoint!

Penelope Thomas