✭Matinée Wednesday: Round Thirty-Two…
I didn’t really know what to expect going into Chicago. Everyone that I know who has seen it had only good things to say. And, of course, if the show wasn’t good, it wouldn’t have won six Tony Awards in 1997. Nor would it be the longest running revival in Broadway history; fourteen years after the revival was launched, the production is still going strong!
The set and the costumes are very basic, everything black, intentionally done to draw the audience’s attention to the choreography and music. The legendary Bob Fosse choreographed the original production in 1975. The orchestra sits in the center of the stage; orchestra members often interacting with the actors.
As the title would suggest, the narrative is set in Chicago, Illinois, during the Roaring Twenties. Prohibition, gangsters, flappers - the whole shabang! If I didn’t know all of this from reading the Playbill before the show started, it could have easily occurred today. The timelessness of the piece could be why it has lasted for so long. While the plot is very shallow, little dialogue strung together by song after song, it is still relevant.
While this isn’t a show that I had ever expressed any desire to see, (nor would I pay to see it — the tix I got were comped though work) I am happy that I saw it. From the time it opened with Bebe Neuwirth, the cast has boasted some very interesting names, ranging from Ashlee Simpson Wentz to John O’Hurley (Mr. Peterman from “Seinfeld”) who played Billy Flynn in the production that I saw.
Honestly, I enjoyed every minute: great music, fantastic dancing, and —what no musical is complete without— a drag queen, there was definitely something for everyone! You know, all that jazz…
