Why did Chicago become a cultural phenomenon? It's highly entertaining and so timeless it's timely. Don't believe me? Go to TPAC this week and see for yourself.
In this age of instant celebrity through TV shows like "The Apprentice" and "Survivor," nothing could be timelier than a song-and-dance satire of fame come and gone quickly, even if it's set in 1920s Chicago and first hit the Broadway stage in 1975.
A 1996 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival and 2002 Academy Award-winning film have made this show a monster hit. This tour adds to that lustrous reputation with talented actor/singer/dancers performing Ann Reinking's Bob Fosse-inspired choreography, John Kander and Fred Ebb's memorable songs and Fosse and Ebb's clever book with all the razzle-dazzle this vaudeville-tinged tale demands.
The story focuses on murderesses Roxie Hart (Bianca Marroquin) and Velma Kelly (Terra C. MacLeod). Both are represented by a media-savvy attorney Billy Flynn (Gregory Harrison) and ride a crest of popular notoriety they hope will propel their show-biz aspirations once they're free of the hangman's noose.
Marroquin, MacLeod and Harrison are delightful. They also remind us in a reassuring way of those who've gone before them in this show: Marroquin's humorous humanity is reminiscent of Gwen Verdon, while her spunk has a sparkle of Reinking to it; MacLeod's sexual magnetism recalls both Chita Rivera and Bebe Neuwirth; and Harrison is a charming rake who succeeds just as Jerry Orbach and James Naughton did before him.
R. Bean's sob-sister columnist Mary Sunshine takes us for a side-splitting ride in "A Little Bit of Good." Kevin Carolan, as Roxie's long-suffering husband Amos, handles the Mister Cellophane lament with the right touch of pathos. Dante A. Sciarra becomes a masterfully hilarious play-within-a-play as all the members of Hart's jury. And Carol Woods gives us the right balance of soul and sass as Matron ''Mama'' Morton in "When You're Good to Momma" and throughout the show.
The entire ensemble presents Reinking's sexy and fun-loving choreography to perfection. Music director Vincent Fanuele and his colleagues play the jazzy score with all the verve it deserves. Yes, Chicago may have all that jazz, but this tour reminds us it has so much more. It's entertainment for grown-ups that has more to say about the American way than ever before.
