Chicago is a famous musical, with a great jazz soundtrack and iconic dancing. It’s a must-see musical for any musical theatre fans. Here’s my Chicago the Musical theatre review.
Overview of Chicago the Musical
Chicago the Musical follows the story of two women, Roxie and Velma. Both women are in jail, accused of murder. With the help of their lawyer, Billy Flynn, they use the publicity of the press to form a defence in court. Chicago the Musical is a famous story, with a famous film as well – so my Chicago the Musical theatre review might give a few plot spoilers, but the plot of Chicago is well known. But if you’re familiar with the story, you can definitely still enjoy the show.
The opening: Roxie is accused of murder and sent to jail
Chicago the Musical opens with the iconic song ‘All that Jazz’, sung by Velma. We then see Roxie, who has been having an affair with Fred. When Fred tries to leave her, Roxie shoots him. Roxie’s husband Amus tries to defend her, but when he realises Roxie was having an affair, Roxie confesses and is arrested. She is sent to the Cook County Jail. Velma is also in jail, for killing her husband and her sister after she found them having an affair.
The women in jail
The women in the Cook County Jail sing the famous song ‘Cell Block Tango’, as they introduce themselves and their crimes. We’re also introduced to the matron on the jail, ‘Mama’, who takes bribes to help the girls.
Roxie manages to get the help of the famous defence lawyer, Billy Flynn. Billy helps her to come up with a defence, to say that she killed Fred out of self defence because ‘they both reached for the gun’. They use the press conferences and publicity to get support and sympathy for Roxie. This works especially well when she invents the story that she’s pregnant. Velma, who is also trying to gain publicity to help with her defence, is jealous of Roxie’s popularity and the attention she’s getting.
The trial
Roxie’s husband, Amos, tries to be there for Roxie but keeps getting ignored and cast aside. He laments how no one seems to notice him in the song ‘Mister Cellophane’.
In Roxie’s court trial, Billy Flynn helps Roxie defend herself. She’s found Not Guilty. But, as soon as her verdict is heard, the press are distracted by another sensational story – leaving Roxie alone.
Velma is also acquitted of murder. And the show ends with Roxie and Velma performing as a double act.
What I liked about Chicago the Musical
Chicago the Musical is one of the most famous, iconic musicals. I really enjoyed it. There are lots of elements of the show that I enjoy.
The songs and dancing
The highlight of Chicago the Musical is undoubtedly the music and the dancing. That’s the core of this show. There’s very little set, and not a huge amount of dialogue in between the songs. So this show is completely focussed on the jazz music and the sexy dancing.
The highlight of the show for me was the song ‘Cell Block Tango’. It’s a great song, with the sarcastic humour that’s so iconic of this show. The song is about the women murdering their husbands, which obviously isn’t particularly funny. But the way the song and lyrics portray it is really funny, in a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic way. I really liked it. The dancing in this song is great as well, with the six women having just a chair each as a prop.
Other highlights of the songs and dances for me were the opening song ‘All that Jazz’. I also really liked ‘They both reached for the gun’. And the finale song and dance, where Roxie and Velma are performing together, was great as well and a great ending to the show. The song ‘Mister Cellophane’ was also good, and the audience really got on Amos’s side and felt sorry for him.
The performances
The performance I saw starred Kevin Clifton as the lawyer Billy Flynn. He’s well known from the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. But in his role in this show, he didn’t dance much – this role was more about singing and acting. And his singing voice was great. I really enjoyed his performance.
The performances of both Roxie and Velma were brilliant as well. And all of the background dancers were great, especially the men. I really liked some of the dance scenes on ladders at each side of the stage.
Some of the dancing was really impressive, with the whole group of dancers doing complex moves. There were some really visually impressive dances. And of course, it was all sexy as well. But some of the dancing was really subtle, which was interesting. It might involve just a slow shoulder role, or a slow leg sweep. It was interesting to have the mix of different dance styles, and to see how each style managed to captivate the audience in different ways.
The dancing really is one of the highlights of this show. It was amazing to watch the dancers – but especially Velma and Roxie – move so elegantly and effortlessly. They made it look so easy and natural – but some of the moves on the chair when they’re leaning back definitely would not have been easy. Seeing Chicago the Musical definitely motivated me to go to the gym a bit more, so I can try to move and look a bit more like them!
The music and the band
The staging of this musical puts the band right in the centre of the stage. In many stage musicals, the band/orchestra and the conductor are hidden away. But in Chicago the Musical, they’re right in the centre of the stage. I liked that. It felt like it made the show even more about the music, because we could see the musicians.
This staging also meant that the conductor could play a role in the show. He introduced some of the songs. In Chicago the Musical, it’s almost a concert-style show, there the songs and dances are introduced. And having the conductor and band on stage meant that the conductor could play a role. He also had a small role in other scenes, such as when Roxie handed him the newspaper in one of her songs, which was amusing.
There’s not a lot of set for Chicago the Musical. The band in the centre of the stage is the main ‘set’, apart from a few chairs and ladders at the side of the stage. The set is very black, and the costumes are mostly black. And there’s some clever lighting, but the visuals are very black-and-white. So there’s not much to distract from the songs, musicians and the dancing.
What I wasn’t so sure about
I really enjoyed Chicago the Musical, and I definitely appreciated the artistry of the dancing and the music. However, there’s just something about this show that doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. It’s probably just a personal preference about the types of shows I enjoy. But while I really enjoy Chicago the Musical, it’s not in my top 10 musicals.
Little staging/set
For me, the main issue with Chicago the Musical is the lack of staging, set, and any changes on stage. Most of the time that’s a good thing – it means you focus on the songs and dances and music. But I feel like this doesn’t work quite as well when that particular song/dance isn’t so good.
There’s one song, sung by one of the press reporters Miss Sunshine. It’s very shrill, almost opera-style song. It’s sort of funny – it’s definitely meant to be funny – but for me, it didn’t really work. But the staging of Chicago means that there’s nothing else on stage to distract from the less good songs/moments. You just have to sit and watch her sing, like you’re in a concert, and wait for the show to move onto the next scene. I definitely wasn’t alone in the audience in not enjoying that song – quite a few people in the audience chose that moment to go to the toilet.
Subtle dances
The subtle dance moves are good in a way, and a lot of the time it’s very effective. But sometimes I wasn’t so sure. I was sat towards the back of the theatre, quite a long way from the stage. From this distance, the subtle dance moves didn’t work quite so well. It was almost hard to tell what was happening. From the back of the theatre, there was the danger of some of it feeling a little bit boring. I would occasionally catch my mind wandering, thinking about what I’d have for dinner tomorrow, and not being fully present in the show.
Again, I think that was because the show had a concert-like feel, so you were sat watching the songs/dances as if it was a concert. So you could just enjoy the music without it needing much brain power to follow a story. I sometimes thought that the show maybe just needed a bit more to keep the audience attention.
Too much like a concert?
I feel like Chicago the Musical almost falls into the pitfall of Six the Musical, in that it’s almost too much of a concert. Many parts of the show feel like you’re just watching a performance of the song, rather than a stage musical with a story. So you almost get the feeling that you could get a lot of the experience from listening to the soundtrack at home. But there’s a lot more to this musical than Six the Musical, and some of the songs/dances/staging are still really impressive.
Would I recommend Chicago the Musical
I really enjoyed Chicago the Musical overall. My Chicago the Musical theatre review is mostly positive, so I would recommend this show. The jazz music and impressive dancing are the real highlights of this show. The plot, while fairly simple, has some great dark humour. It’s a slightly different type of musical, and definitely worth seeing on stage.
Hope you enjoyed my Chicago the Musical theatre review! Check out my other theatre reviews for more shows in the West End, across the UK and the world.
