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Chicago has always been one of my favourite musicals and MTB’s ambitious production did not disappoint. Both funny and relevant: it explored the themes of this Broadway classic in a thought provoking and amusing way. With a flurry of fishnet, just the right balance between sexiness and sleaziness and a whole lot of razzle dazzle, it was a captivating performance that left the audience wanting more. From start to finish it was a well choreographed, colourful and funny.
Luke Silverman described the company’s enjoyment in exploring the deeply flawed characters and this comes across in each performers individual take on their character. This individual characterisation becomes most clearly evident in “The Cell Block Tango”, in which each performer brought their character to life, despite a few technical glitches. Every single key character provided a memorable performance. The leading ladies were both consistently strong. Charlotte Bartholomew provided a captivating and faultless performance as Velma Kelly: murderess and inmate at the Cook County Jail. While Adele Carr’s portrayal of Roxy Hart, Velma’s rival, was absolutely spot on and the funniest moments in the show were to her credit. My personal favourite number was “We both reached for the gun” which was extremely well executed by both Carr and Harry Nicholson as Chicago’s best lawyer Billy Flynn. The performance also benefited from an extremely strong ensemble who never missed a cue and provided entertaining performances throughout.
I have no doubt that this production provided every audience member with an evening of enjoyment, laughs and all that jazz.