Review: CHICAGO Opens at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City

The windy city blew into the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts with gale force on Tuesday night as the Theater League presented the opening of Chicago the Musical. Barry and Fran Weissler present the Tony Award winning musical with book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb. David Bushman recreates the original choreography and David Hyslop recreates the original production direction of the musical originally choreographed and directed by Fosse.

The Broadway production of Chicago opened at the 46th Street Theatre in 1975, running 936 performances until 1977 and receiving 10 Tony Award nominations. The 1997 Broadway revival won six Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. The same year it won six Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical. In 1998, the musical received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The musical played 7,486 performances through November of 2014 making it the second longest-running show in Broadway history, just behind Phantom of the Opera.

Based on the 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, Chicago is the story of two women, Velma Kelly and Roxy Hart, both in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial for murder. Murder, corruption, celebrity status of accused murderers, sounds like Prohibition-era Chicago. Accused of murdering her husband and her sister who were having an affair, Velma is the top celebrity on the cellblock. That is until chorus girl Roxy is booked into the jail for murdering Fred Casely, her lover from the nightclub where she performed.

Terra C. MacLeod is magnificent as Velma, exerting a strong powerful voice as she enters the stage to the tune of "All That Jazz." The comedic timing of MacLeod and Bianca Marroquin (Roxy) as they interact with each other, the company, and the audience is perfection. MacLeod starred as Velma in the world French premiere of Chicago in Montreal and Paris receiving a Moliere Award nomination.

As Roxy, Marroquin presents the audience with vocals that delighted and amused the audience. A particularly entertaining scene is as Roxie and her attorney Billy give a press conference, which turns into a ventriloquist act. Billy shares a new version of the truth with the press in "We Both Reached for the Gun," manipulating Roxy's head and arms as she mouths the words.

Whether you remember John O'Hurley as J. Peterman on the hit television show "Seinfeld," or as the voice of King Neptune on "Sponge Bob Square Pants," you will not forget him as the attorney Billy Flynn. While superbly performing "All I Care About" with the girls he tells the audience through song that he only cares about love. It is not long before the audience discovers the love he refers to is that of money.

C. Newcomer as the reporter Mary Sunshine, Roz Ryan as the Matron "Mama" Morton, and Jacob Keith Watson as Amos Hart Roxy's husband give marvelous performances in supporting roles. The entire cast exudes such an enormous amount energy and talent that it floods over the audience and you cannot help but have a great time.

The light-hearted satire is sure to get you laughing aloud and tapping your feet from the very first number to the finale. Chicago continues at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday January 25. Purchase tickets by calling the box office at 816-994-7222 or visit the Kansas City Theater League website. Photo by Paul Kolnik courtesy of The Kansas City Theater League.

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