Last night I was invited to the press night of the UK tour of Chicago The Musical at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford. I hadn't seen this musical for decades and so I was really looking forward to seeing it again. When I arrived at the theatre, it was clear what a draw this show still is, as it was packed full of excited theatre goers.
I was contemplating whether the show would seem a little dated to me now, this many years on, but I needn't have, as from the off it was sleek, exciting and enjoyable. Djalenga Scott, as Velma Kelly, firmly marked her territory with her opening number, All That Jazz supported by a slick and powerful Company. Her voice has such depth and her dancing was beautiful to watch. We, the audience, new we were in experienced hands, right from the off. In fact, I would say that this was the best company I have seen in a musical, such team players, all incredible.
Then we were introduced to Roxie Hart, played by Faye Brookes. Roxie is always an audience
favourite, it is such a fun character and Brookes played it to perfection. Her vocals and dancing were outstanding, but also her comic timing and acting really shone to perfection. The leading ladies in this show are worth the cost of a ticket alone. By far the best Roxie and Velma I've ever seen.
Jamie Baughan gave a heartfelt and endeering performance as Amos Hart, pulling on our heart strings as his marriage collapses around him. His rendition of Mr Cellophane was so spot on, you could have heard a pin drop in the audience as he drew us all in. This is an actor who knows when to stand out, and when to fall back, making his performance dynamic.
The star turns in this particular leg of the tour were Russell Watson, as Billy Flynn and Sheila Ferguson as Mama Morton. Sheila Ferguson still has that powerful, rich tone and she was a delight to watch.
Russell Watson sang every number to perfection, as to be expected from a vocalist of such esteem, but I particularly enjoyed hearing him throw his tone and technique about to suit each song, rather than leaning on his classical background. This proved him to be versatile and great fun to watch, with the puppet sequence of, "We Both Reached For The Gun" being the absolute stand out part of his performance.
Of course, with this particular show, another main character is the orchestra. Standing proud centre stage, they create the atmosphere of the 1920s Jazz scene, with humour and pazazz. Led by Musical Director Andrew Hilton they brought the show to life with their equisite musicianship. I loved how they interacted with the characters on stage and brought a lot of the humour to the stage. They brought the house down with their final playoff, as the vast majority of the audience stayed back to listen to them play out, with ended with a huge cheer and applause from the crowd.
Jazz, Fosse, Murder, Velma, Roxie… CHICAGO is a delicious cocktail of 1920s debauchery at its finest. The women of the Cook County Jail serve up a dazzling display of the, now infamous, murder trials that 1920s Chicago became famous for. Packed full of stunning choreography, with an exquisite onstage orchestra providing the backdrop for the misadventures of the devious chorus girl, Roxie Hart, CHICAGO is a top tier musical that is still packing out auditoriums. The performances are stunning, with Faye Brookes (Roxie) and Djalenga Scott (Velma) leading the way, in style. A must-see musical, if ever there was one.
Chicago The Musical is on at The Orchard Theatre until Saturday 23rd April 2022. Tickets can be found here: https://orchardtheatre.co.uk/Online/tickets-chicago-dartford-2021
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