CHICAGO THEATRE REVIEW
Chicago - a razzle-dazzling treat for London theatre fans
Anyone who wants to see a sizzling, perfectly choreographed musical that is sure to have audiences glued to their seats should definitely buy theatre tickets to see Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre.
One of the world's best-loved shows, it recently celebrated its 12th birthday in the West End, making it the sixth longest-running show in London theatreland.
However, it still looks as fresh now as it did when it opened at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997. Gary Wilmot, a former television entertainer, recently told the Norwich Evening News that he feels this is because it has an involving storyline and some great characters portrayed by talented performers.
"This one is very, very special. The quality of the performances in Chicago is just so high. The show never gets tired," he commented.
Indeed, a host of people have lined up to take on roles in Chicago, with Jerry Springer, Justin Lee Collins, Denise Van Outen, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Ellison all having razzle-dazzled their way through stints in the show in the past.
A lively musical with a great storyline and some exciting show tunes.
Chicago certainly has an exciting plot. Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of Roxie Hart, a would-be jazz singer who believes her lover will make her a star.
However, when she finds out that he is conning her, she draws a gun from her bedside drawer and shoots him dead.
Roxie finds herself on death row for murder alongside her idol Velma Kelly and both girls employ the services of Billy Flynn, a lawyer with questionable morals, to win public favour.
At first, they both treat prison under Mama Morton as something of a lark, but are stunned when one of their fellow death row inmates is hanged in the yard.
While they make concerted efforts to avoid the gallows, the audience is entertained by rousing songs like Cell Block Tango, All That Jazz and They Both Reached for the Gun.
The dramatic scenes and switching between imagined sequences and prison life works incredibly well and allows the audience to see a realistic view of Chicago in the 1920s, with its flappers, speakeasies and gangsters' molls.
However, it's also an entertaining story about the price of fame that is still relevant today.
Anyone who likes lively musicals with a rip-roaring plot is sure to love Chicago and we would highly recommend it.