“Chicago,” the revived musical now playing at the Pantages Theater, has New York written all over it. Its Broadway pedigree has music and lyrics by the talented team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, choreography by Ann Reinking and a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse.
This is the same production that appeared here several years ago and it continues to be entertaining with its witty score and morbid humor. The theme, of course, is that you can get away with murder if you “razzle dazzle them,” an appropriate and timely premise in these days of high profile celebrity cases.
This is a rather economical show, which makes the best of its limitations. There are no set changes or costume changes, and the dancing chorus takes on all the necessary supporting roles. The orchestra is placed on a banked platform in the middle of the stage and certainly deserves its star position. The ensemble is really sensational, coming up with hot jazz that certainly outdoes the stuff being offered in “Like Jazz” at the Mark Taper Forum. Maestro Vincent Fanuele and his musicians tear into the music and knowingly capture the nuances of the story line.
The musical relates the travails of Roxie Hart, who kills her lover and then basks in the ensuing notoriety. Skewered are the legal system, the press and the gullible public. Patrick Swayze is the “name” actor in the show and handles the part of lawyer Billy Flynn with a sweet blandness. Swayze needs a little less “suave” and a little more sleaze. The role of the notorious murderess Roxie Hart is played by Bianca Marroquin, and the best word for her is adorable. She shoots, she sings, she dances and she is absolutely, well, adorable. She is aided and abetted, as they say in police circles, by Reva Rice as her sister murderess Velma Kelly. She is excellent, too.
Other members of the cast are all Broadway pros. Carol Woods makes the most of her appearances as the prison matron and knows how to put across “When You’re Good to Momma.” She joins with Riva Rice to sing one of the funniest and most tasteless songs, “Taste.”
“Mr. Cellophane,” sung here by Ray Bokhour, is always a showstopper. Playing the put-upon patsy, Amos, Bokhour garners laughs with his minimalist approach. R. Bean as reporter Mary Sunshine has a vocal range that extends from high A to low Z.
Among the more familiar numbers are “All that Jazz,” “Razzle Dazzle” and “Nowadays.” The show, which was originally directed and choreographed by the late Bob Fosse, is directed by Walter Bobbie, who captures the spirit of the naughty ’20s. Not very naughty compared to today!
This is not Broadway at its very best, but “Chicago” is slick and clever and bouncy. However, the message underscored is
that, with a little publicity, crime does pay.