Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Nottingham – until Saturday 23 October 2021
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
3***
Manipulation, murder and mayhem, Chicago is a murky parable of injustice. A musical extravaganza, Chicago transports you to the decadent 1920s where on the surface it seems a world away from the one, we live in, however, the paparazzi frenzy, corruption and the courting of the press is as relevant today as it will ever be.
Can the housewife/nightclub dancer, who has murdered her lover, escape hanging with the help of a super slick lawyer and avoid the rivalry of her other cellmates who are just as publicity hungry? The music, the story, the nail-biting conclusion all makes for a rip-roaring ride.
As we walked into the theatre, we were greeted on stage with a spot lit bowler hat on a chair. The audience’s excitement grew. Unfortunately, this production did not live up to expectations. It had timing issues, both in landing the lyrical jokes but also in the dance numbers, which make up such a huge part of Chicago, causing the show to lose some of its sass and finesse. There were also occasions when accents were dropped, all of which caused jarring and jolted us out of the world of Chicago.
This aside there were some outstanding performances from most of the cast and the live band, who were on stage throughout, brought the theatre to life. The Band played the audience out and had and an incredible vibe about them. We were dancing down the aisles, singing and clapping, in a covid friendly manner of course.
Joel Montague, who played the cuckold husband Amos Hart, superbly, was an absolute treat. Combining humour and pathos, he blew us away with his performance of Mr Cellophane.
All in all, the elements to make this an excellent production of Chicago are there. I feel with a bit more cohesion it would be amazing. Nailing the dance numbers, landing the jokes, and holding the accents would elevate this show to where it ought to be