Review: CHICAGO THE MUSICAL at Actors Theatre Of Little Rock

I don’t have the proper words to express my elation felt at Actors Theatre of Little Rock’s immersive production of CHICAGO THE MUSICAL, which runs through July 27. If you do not have your tickets, get them now. It’s selling out fast, and you don’t want your experience of this show to be from listening to your friends about how great it was. Seriously, this group of performers have developed magic in the basement of the Quapaw United Methodist Church, and I absolutely love love love this show! 

With Book by Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Choreography by Olivia Stephens, and Directed by Mark A Burbank, CHICAGO THE MUSICAL follows the story of murderesses on death row trying to gain their freedom. Vaudeville star Velma Kelly (Kelsey Marie) and wanna-be star Roxie Hart (Kristen Phantazia Smith) are two of many women on death row during the roaring 20s. Can favored lawyer Billy Flynn (Ladarius Lamar) save them when all he cares about it love....and $5,000? Roxie’s husband Amos Hart (Jonathan Fili) tries desperately to scrape up the money needed to free his beautiful wife. Until then Roxie meets the "six merry murderesses of Cook County Jail" during my favorite song "Cell Block Tango." Roxie is then introduced to Matron "Mama" Morton (Twanda House) during my second favorite song "When You’re Good to Mama." With the compassionate writing styles of cheery reporter Marry Sunshine (Karena Mallott), Roxie’s story is front page news, and the crowd loves her. So, what happens to the women? Go see the musical! 

Productions with this company get bigger and bigger. The pre-show entertainment has sword fighting, dancing, and other various forms of creative arts, and if you sit in the immersive section, you are sure to be touched in some way. It’s a lot of fun! Even if you don’t sit in the immersive section, you can still see all of the excitement with ease. There is not a bad seat in this venue, and it helps that staging is everywhere. They use all sides to tell this story. Again....so much fun! 

The cast will blow you away. Kristen Phantazia Smith and Kelsey Marie are an amazing duo. They both sing with such power, and their attitudes are sassy to the max. They have charm, charisma, and watching them go at each other is so entertaining. Both Ladarius Lamar and Jonathan Fili fill their roles with ease. Lamar has this smirk that cracks me up and Fili wins a lot of aaaawwwwwws from the crowd during his scenes. Twanda House remains in charge when she enters the stage, and I love that Karena Mallott has given Mary Sunshine a persona that floats around in her own happy bubble. I can relate.  

The ensemble takes the atmosphere to the next level. They are all over the place at all times. My favorite is that they all wear the same outfits. If the scene calls for showgirls, they are all showgirls. If the scene calls for pinstripes, they all have the pinstripes. That costuming decision is genius!  

The special Loblolly Creamery choices for this show are The Roxie, which is Strawberry Champagne Sorbet and The Velma, which is Red Velvet. I chose Velma, but I really wanted both.  

Before the show, Director Burbank had some special news. “Tonight is an extra special night, because it is Actors Theatre’s official second birthday,” he said. “Two years ago from today, we launched for the first time and the fact that we are here tonight is a blessing and a miracle all in itself, so that you all so so much for supporting the arts in Central Arkansas, for supporting fearless works, and supporting blossoming company.” 

I predict that this company is going to be around for a very long time. For more information about CHICAGO or any of the other productions coming up, visit their website at https://actorstheatrelr.org. Thank you to Eric White for these amazing photos! 

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