Review of Chicago at Milton Keynes Theatre

The musical Chicago, first staged in 1975 is rightfully a classic of the stage, and the 2002 film went many ways in bringing it also to more generations. The creator's list itself is a thing of stage legend. Music is by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, with a book by Ebb accompanied by Bob Fosse. It's quite a line-up. Fosse especially shines here with his often-emulated but never-bettered classic jazz choreography. So, what's not to like about seeing this again on stage?

Truthfully, very little, this is a highly polished new production of Chicago, opening an extensive tour here at Milton Keynes Theatre. Leading the cast is a carefully selected group of familiar stars from stage and screen, all perfectly suited to their roles.

The infamous roles of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are played by performers who have both previously razzle dazzled in them. From the cobbles of Coronation Street, Faye Brookes makes the perfect transition to the role of Roxie Hart beyond many a soap actor brought in to sell tickets. Her performance is clean and crisp and brilliantly devilish and comical as suits. Her singing and dance performances are brilliant and coupled with her co-star Djalenga Scott, they form a comical sparring partnership. Scott herself fits her role so perfectly as well, you can easily see why the production has brought back such a pair of performers to the roles.

Also, mining from the stage history of Chicago is Matron 'Mama' Morton played by Brenda Edwards, who first appeared in the role on the West End stage in 2006. Her brilliant voice brings a stunning rendition of When You're Good To Mama and she has a brilliant duet with Scott on the number Class.

Actually new to Chicago on stage, but still familiar to audiences no doubt is Kevin Clifton, who, since coming to household fame in Strictly Come Dancing has become quite a stage star, and here as Billy Flynn, he brings a gem of a confident performance to the stage. His self-assured behaviour is perfect for the slinky character of Flynn and his best moment clearly comes on the number We Both Reached for the Gun, alongside both Brookes and Jordan Lee Davies' brilliant Mary Sunshine.

One song that many take to heart from Chicago is Mister Cellophane, performed by Hart's downtrodden husband Amos, and once again it is a classic here, performed brilliantly by Joshua Lloyd. Everyone indeed loves a loser, especially in Chicago, which is full of people you don't want to know in reality.

The choreography by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse is crisp and perfectly suited to the show, and the talented ensemble is tremendous in creating it. Lighting from Ken Billington also suits the downtrodden atmosphere, dingy when needed and bright and dazzling when the tale suits. Music creation is superb from Neil MacDonald's always-on-stage band, very much part of the show. Sound, bar one show-stopping moment on the night, is excellently produced with lyrics and dialogue clear virtually all the time.

Even to this day, Chicago is a classic, if an extremely quirky one. The story is grim in the extreme, scenes and songs are at times longer than needed, and the comic, slapstick nature of the material may not suit all, but, yes, it is still a brilliant night out after over fifty years of thrilling audiences.

Slick, stylish and sexy, now's the time you made a trip to Chicago.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday, 15th October 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Chicago is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, 19th October 2024 before touring. Tour details at https://chicagothemusical.com/uk-tour/

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Tristram Kenton
Images from a previous production

Review of making second Kontakt with the R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

As I said in my first Kontakt review, I wasn't really sure that I wanted to see this show. However come Sunday and a second opportunity to see it, I was genuinely looking forward to it. With the show now having departed, for my second review I will elaborate a touch more on happenings, which initially I shied away from as spoilers. My actor for my second encounter was 15 year old Michael. He had the enviable task unlike Michael before him of dealing with someone who knew quite a bit of what was coming. As those surgical gloves went on I this time was certain that the R&D were not going to overstep the boundary and do a full medical. I had also learnt that a crisp sandwich was something that should be left in the memory, so cheese was a much more sensible option. I was able to complete the calculation generally unaided and managed to express an exaggerated shock at the latter outcome. The game of Jenga managed to stay stable once again and rather amazingly managed to bring t...

Review of Lord of the Dance at Milton Keynes Theatre

On what was so far the hottest day of the year, and the highest in many a record book, it feels a tad evil to watch as a group of extremely talented performers bring to the stage one of the most famous and most energetic dance shows to tour. However, arriving now at Milton Keynes Theatre, as part of what is now the still rather immodestly titled 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour, Lord of the Dance remains full of energy even on the hottest of evenings in Milton Keynes. I last and first saw Lord of the Dance as part of the 25 Years of Standing Ovations tour, four years ago (yes, the sums don’t quite work), and it was every bit as spectacular as you could imagine this world-famous dance show is. Born into the world from Michael Flatley and the Riverdance spectacular that preceded it, Lord of the Dance is a simple but effective battle between good and evil and the resolution of it through dance rather than fighting. The dancing here is, as expected, exceptional, led by the Lord of the...

Review of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at Milton Keynes Theatre

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is one of John Le Carré’s more well-known titles in his world of spy fiction, and having been adapted into a highly rated 1965 film with Richard Burton, it is perhaps surprising that it took until 2024 for this stage adaptation to appear, adapted by David Eldridge, and now at Milton Keynes Theatre. In many ways, it feels like a ripe story for a stage play, with locations and theatre folk often liking the cerebral storytelling it offers, so this should be perfect for the stage? The Spy Who Came in From the Cold depicts Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow disinformation about Hans-Dieter Mundt, a powerful East German intelligence officer. However, as expected in the spy world, all is not as it seems, and with the lurking figure of the supposedly retired spy George Smiley in the background, Leamas finds things moving far from his control. It has to be said that Eldridge’s adaptation struggles...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog