CHICAGO the musical

Posted on 13 July 2016

After seeing Chicago last week I was satisfied with the performance, the dancers were amazing and the vocals were spot on.

I was not blown away however like I have been with other musicals for example the extravagant spectacle of Priscilla the Musical or the costumes and set of The Lion King. The set remained the same throughout the whole show with only the lighting to change the mood or scene. Chicago was performed very well and the musical numbers were just how I was hoping however there was something missing. I was expecting more set changes on stage and maybe it was missing a famous face or two.

Throughout Its current run in London's Westend opening in 1997 at the Adelphi Theatre then transferring to the Cambridge Theatre in 2006 and now at the Garrick Theatre in 2011, many famous faces have graced the stage. The flamboyant attorney Billy Flynn has been played by the likes of Marti Pellow, David Hasselhoff, Jerry Springer, John Barrowman, Tony Hadley and Kevin Richardson. The role of ambitious chorus girl Roxy Hart has been played by Maria Friedman, Ashlee Simpson, Tina Arena, Aoife Mullholland, Michelle Williams, Denise Van Outen and most recently Ugly Betty Star America Ferrera. Kelly Osborne has also performed as Mama Morten on the Westend stage production of Chicago. Although I didn't not enjoy the show, I know that if there was a well known celebrity in one of the main roles it would have been more enjoyable.

Chicago the Musical is and always will be a legendary show. The movie version released in 2002 starring Renee Zelwegger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Queen Latifa bought a lot of attention to the story and was the first time I had ever seen it. I really enjoyed the movie version, even buying the cd of music from the show. Maybe I thought the stage production of Chicago would just give me a little more "Razzle Dazzle".