Chicago

Engadine’s Chicago is full of Class and Razzle Dazzle.

Sue Bunt’s inspired direction and set design, Josh Ransom’s tight musical direction, Craig Nhobbs’s amazing choreography, the supremely talented cast, and the tech teams have pulled out all stops to ensure a professional-standard show that entertains with pizzazz and elegance.

This version goes for a more PG-rated approach and maintains good taste. Bits of bump-and-grind pop up in small doses but nothing overt, so this is a Chicago to which you can take the kids. What’s clever about this is that taking a less risqué approach made the book’s elements of corruption and sleaze come through in a way that adults can understand but would go over the heads of the younger ones. I may be harping on here but it’s tiresome seeing companies ruining shows by unnecessarily sexing them up for the sake of trying to be “edgy”.

In this regard I have to give special mention to the choreography. Given how easy it would be to fill the show with burlesque and other sexualized dance styles, it’s a testimony to the ability of Craig Nhobbs to choreograph such a show in a way to avoid these styles and still get the point across.

Similarly Josh Ransom’s handling of the orchestra and the playing by the musicians; despite what’s happening on stage you can sense what’s really going on simply by hearing the great playing.

The costumes by Coralie Broadhurst and Norelle Thomson are a standout.

I must also mention the professional and courteous behaviour from the Front of House staff. Never underestimate the work that FoH do. Early this year I had a bad experience with an obnoxious FoH from another society that left me vowing never to return (and I haven’t since). It’s a great example of how important FoH can be to a show and to a society.

This show is another example of the importance of being chorus. More than once I had to drag my eyes away from watching them in order to watch a lead. The downside of having a chorus this good is that we end up noticing everything they do: one of them was not familiar with the dance steps and kept watching the other dancers to stay in step.

There are many highlights: Velma Kelly singing while pole dancing, Roxie Hart singing while being somersaulted by her dancers, the Cell-Block Tango, and the Razzle-Dazzle/Trial Scene with its costuming, dance, magic tricks, and acting is a coup de theatre. Not a high-tech gimmick in sight.

The cast play their roles with a youthful charm and innocence, making them more likeable to how they normally are played. The one exception to this was Michael Astill’s Announcer/MC, who gave his character a knowing nastiness. It worked brilliantly.

Similarly, Paul Oscuro’s Amos Hart hit all the right beats and he was endearing to watch. In his hands “Mr Cellophane” became more than just a one-idea song. Lynley Fuller as Mary Sunshine is simply gorgeous and provides a lovely twist that those familiar with the show will appreciate.

Tanya Boyle as Mama Morton deserves an award for giving a 100% performance while suffering under illness. Ill she may have been but her performance was wow.

Lachlan O’Brien as Billy Flynn gave his character an exuberance that I saw him imbue other characters I’ve seen him play in other shows. If anything, this was the only fault I had with the show, and it’s not really a fault: For me, Lachlan O’Brien simply looked too young for the role. Flynn is supposed to be an experienced lawyer who knows how to work the system, not a first year law student. There’s no denying the actor is talented, but I thought his youthfulness worked against him here, and it often took me out of the show’s reality. I was curious to see how the show would have worked if the Messrs. Astill and O’Brien swapped roles.

However, the night belonged to Lizzy Cross as Roxie Hart and Kate Xouris as Velma Kelly.  Don’t expect copies of Renee Zellwegger and Catherine Zeta-Jones from the movie-version. Ms Cross and Ms Xouris make these characters their own. Velma and Roxie aren’t cunning little vixens here so much as kittens with claws, making them all the more dangerous, but yet earning our empathy. You just have to go see the show to experience the talent of these ladies and see how good they are.

Peter Novakovich

Images:  Perfect Images Photography