Chicago Since the revival of Chicago on Broadway in 1997, this Kander & Ebb ode to jazz, murder, and sex has reached goals that I'm sure none of its original creators ever imagined. The revival won an armful of Tony Awards and is still packing them in on the Great White Way. The musical has given birth to quite a few national tours, always with at least one star in a prime role. The film version was released in 2002, and it went on to win six Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture. I have seen the Broadway revival, as well as now five national tours of this delicious, debauchery of a musical. What has made it so enjoyable for me is seeing new performers tackle the roles with creative and fresh attacks on their characters' arcs and subtext - not to mention the singing and dancing they bring to the table. In one of the two jazz baby leads, we have Reva Rice as Velma, the gal who caught her sister and lover doing the "spread eagle" portion of their routine, so she shot them both. Bianca Marroquin portrays Roxie Hart, a flapper who wants stardom at any cost - even murder. Ms. Rice dances the role beautifully, but lacks the vocal strength of previous Velmas. Her voice tends to stay soft and whispered, even with the body mike turned on. Also, she does not really get underneath Velma's subtext but stays in a more modern tone of sassy, sarcastic girlfriend than a woman who killed and is now crawling her way back to the front pages. Rice does earn kudos in such numbers as "All That Jazz" and "I Can't Do It Alone," with her precise Fosse dance technique. The actress also generates laughs on "I Know A Girl." From my viewings, Stephanie Pope and Deirdre Goodwin have given the best performances of this role (yes, even better than Bebe Neuwirth). Without a doubt, Marroquin (who reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett) gives the funniest performance I have ever seen of Roxie Hart. This actress overflows with non-stop energy that is matched with sublime comic timing. She uses her face and body to achieve hysterical laughter. She has added small ad-libs in her reactions to other characters that are hilarious, making "Roxie" and "We Both Reached For the Gun" showstoppers. Marroquin also has faultless dance technique that works magic in her choreography. Alas, her singing voice is not up to the level of her other talents. She, too, is not a strong, belting singer. At times throughout the evening it was hard to hear her. Also, her vibrato has a quivering, machine gun like quality that causes her to lose vocal control, thereby sounding sharp or slightly off key. But what she does with "Nowadays" is both dramatically haunting and moving. She finds a darker, more intense subtext within the lyrics that will break your heart. Together, Marroquin and Rice hit the bull's eye with the "Honey Rag" finale. I would have to place Marroquin and Sandy Duncan as the best Roxies I have seen. Tom Wopat is cut from the cloth of Broadway leading men that just rarely exists today. He is a masculine, handsome man with a rich, dark baritone voice that is perfection. He also has a commanding presence onstage that many of today's leading men lack, making him ideal as the slick Chicago lawyer Billy Flynn. Wopat creates a more likeable Flynn who truly seems to keep his eye on the prize - money and publicity. Wopat also delivers the witty one liners for his character with more zest and showmanship than other Flynns I've seen. His voice oozes like warm honey on such numbers as "All I Care About" and "Razzle Dazzle." He also achieves comedy gold with the showstopping "We Both Reached For the Gun." If Bob Fosse were alive, I think he would be extremely pleased with Wopat's performance of Flynn. I have seen Carol Woods as Mama Morton in another tour of Chicago, and the Grande Dame is still vibrant, sexy, and one hell of a scene stealer! I adore her. Woods attacks "When You're Good To Mama" like a true pro, squeezing the last drop of every comic line with perfect timing and delivery. She has also added amazing vocal breaks toward the last measures within the song that caused the audience to roar and applaud with thunderous approval. She is superb! Oddly enough, I have yet to see an actor do justice to the role of Amos Hart. Ray Bokhour stays on a monotone "one acting level" plane that never goes anywhere within his characterization. It doesn't help that the actor has a shaved head and dark circles under his eyes, making him look like Uncle Fester in The Addams Family. Amos is supposed win your heart, not scare the living daylights out of you. Bokhour is also equipped with a lackluster singing voice. This is a mediocre performance at best. The ensemble (which includes two Dallas natives, Eddie Bennett and Randy Slovacek) all seem to have walked off a Soloflex commercial set. The bodies on these dancers - muscle definition on both the guys and gals! They are the backbone of this production that really makes it soar. They dance, sing, and act with neverending energy that is almost exhausting to watch. They are the most precise, unified company that I have seen perform Fosse's choreography. Usually there are one or two dancers who don't have the pinky up, or the foot arched. It does show when everyone is not in unison. Not here - this group dances with one heart and one body. They are all brilliant. Special kudos within the ensemble go to Dan LoBuono as Fred Casely (the sexiest Fred I have ever seen on stage) and Jillana Laufer as Hunyak (the 'not guilty' girl in "Cell block Tango"). Technically, this production has some sound problems. The sound for most of the evening seems to stay muffled and stuck within the massive fly rail rafters of the Music Hall, hardly ever traveling with precision beyond the orchestra pit. Overall, this production is still dazzling, marvelous, and vibrant to watch. The cast, for the most part, bring gallons of fresh paint to provide new color and exciting life for the still perfect score and delicious biting book. Even if you have seen Chicago before, this one is so well worth a second viewing. The Broadway Contemporary Series, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals, brings the new national touring production to the Music Hall at Fair Park for one week only, Feb. 24-29, 2004. Single tickets ($15-$65) are on sale now at The Box Office, 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center, or any Ticketmaster outlet. To order by phone, call 214-631-ARTS, or from the website www.ticketmaster.com. For groups of 20 or more, call 214- 426-GROUP. Chicago
Velma Kelly.................................Reva Rice |
[ © 1997 - 2009 TalkinBroadway.com, a project of www.TalkinBroadway.Org, Inc. ]