Chicago (UK Tour) 04.03.16

Chicago (UK Tour)

Location: The Orchard Theatre, Dartford

Date Seen: 4^th March 2016

Seen With: Mum & Dad

Understudies at This Performance: Helen Siveter as Velma Kelly

Summary

Chicago is one of my all time favourite musicals. I love the two female leads, - particularly Velma Kelly - the choreography, the songs and I absolutely love the staging with the orchestra on the stage. I am spoilt in a way as I saw this on Broadway last year and it was one of the best musical performances I had ever seen. On watching this performance, I tried not to compare them like for like.

Acting

This was a huge let down for me from the leads. I am always dubious of ‘big star’ names being cast as I feel it is at the expense of full time musical theatre actors and actresses who do this day in day out. My point was proven with Sam Bailey, who whilst has a strong voice, fell flat as the bolshie Mama Morton I’d expect. John Partridge’s Billy Flynn was limp and not the suave lawyer I was expecting. He lacked the presence he really needed and his manipulation of the other characters felt false. Hayley Tamaddon did a fair job as Roxie Hart though I think she could have had so many more layers in her character – she felt very one dimensional and could have pushed more for a more exciting performance. Helen Siveter as Velma Kelly was probably the only lead I could say I was happy with. Despite coming on as the understudy fairly early in the tours run, I think she did a great job and certainly had the majority of Velma’s sarcasm there. I feel she should have had more presence and sometimes I lost her amongst the ensemble but I think over the tour’s run, she will get the opportunity to really hit home.

Music & Songs

I cannot fault the orchestra who for me are the glue of this particular show mainly because they are on stage rather than being hidden in the orchestra pit as is the norm with most musicals. They have a real flare and Chicago’s staging allows them to show their personalities without detracting from the actors.

The songs are some of my favourites in musicals though I think the sound system let some songs down as you couldn’t hear the lead vocals over ensemble. But I have to criticise John Partridge as I was left highly disappointed with his rendition of ‘All I Care About’. The vocal sounded unnatural and strained and was difficult to listen to. He slightly redeemed himself in ‘We Both Reached for the Gun’ and ‘Razzle Dazzle’ but for a musical theatre performer, I really did expect better.

Choreography

Other than a couple of awkward moments in ‘All That Jazz’ (though I think this was a result of the staging rather than the choreography), the choreography in Chicago is some of the most iconic. The ensemble is showcased at their strongest in the group numbers as well as standout numbers ‘Me and My Baby’ and ‘Honey Hot Rag’. The choreography was one of the redeeming features of this production.

Direction

I think part of the problem with this show has to stem from the direction. Roxie Hart, for me, is a cunning, sexy minx who manipulates everyone around her to get what she wants. Whilst Hayley Tamaddon had the comedy elements of her role down, I didn’t get the sexy or manipulative feeling from her. She was just ‘too nice’. I feel if the director had pushed her, her performance would have sky rocketed. Whether this was an actor limitation or a director’s misdirection I won’t know but either way something was amiss for this particular character.

Set/Lighting

There is not a lot of set to speak of with the orchestra stage taking up about 50% of the stage. Chairs are the main prop used and I don’t think this show needs more than that. The lighting is sultry and captures the harshness of the prison setting whilst also emulating the sexiness that Chicago is so well known for.

Costumes

I absolutely love the sexy costumes of Chicago. They’re simple in the sense they’re all black and use similar sheer and lace materials but they’re so effective. The only costume let down was Hayley Tamaddon’s first dress as Roxie Hart. It seemed too big and the front sheer panels were extremely unflattering. Again it reflected on the fact she seemed ‘too nice’ and needed a serious vamping up to portray the seductive side of the character.

Stand Out Performances

A.D. Richardson as Mary Sunshine: In a show where the lead performances were disappointing, A.D. Richardson made up for this in buckets. The vocal was so impressive and I’ve not heard ‘A Little Bit Of Good’ as good as it was sung in this performance. Richardson was the best Mary Sunshine for me, outshining those I saw in the West End and Broadway.

The Ensemble: Lead actors are often talked about at the expense of the ensemble but the ensemble stood out for me over the leads. They were slick, together and felt like they were performing for their lives.

The Orchestra: I have never seen an orchestra have as much fun as these musicians and conductor did. I love the Entr’acte and their short skit after the finale. It really showed them off as individuals and for me was one of the best bits of the night!

Show to Show Comparisons

At the beginning of this review I said I wouldn’t compare this to the other productions of Chicago I’ve seen but its hard not too. I saw Amra Faye-Wright as Velma Kelly in 2009 in the West End and last year on Broadway. In my eyes she has Velma’s sarcasm and bluntness down to a point and this wasn’t felt in this performance. Overall I hope the UK Tour improves as it is seriously lacking in certain areas at present. I would personally like to see some of the leads change to ‘unknown’ actors and actresses as I think this really would have benefited. 

Would I Recommend?

If you’re an avid fan on Chicago then I’d steer clear as it probably won’t live up to your expectations and I think some of the casting was a huge mistake. If you’ve never seen Chicago and want to then I’d say go and see it as the ensemble and orchestra were outstanding.

Overall Verdict (Out of 5 Stars):

3 Stars – I think ‘star’ casting is what let this production down. Chicago is in my top 3 musicals of all time and I was left frustrated with some weak performances of the big supporting characters. I would have given in 2 stars but the ensemble, orchestra and a couple of the leads meant I couldn’t justify bumping it down another star.