BWW Reviews: CHICAGO Delights Hilton Head Audiences

Located on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina produces a full season of musicals and plays aimed at a dedicated audience of Lowcountry residents. The productions, which include crowd-pleasing favorites suggested by theatre-goers, feature fully professional casts drawn primarily from New York, along with a sprinkling of local performers. On a stormy Sunday afternoon, I joined several hundred patrons in attendance at the Center's production of Chicago, directed and choreographed by Russell Garrett, to enjoy a high quality rendering of the 1920s-era musical.

As the murderous duo at the center of the play's action, Jessica Lea Patty as Velma Kelly and Caitlin Carter as Roxie Hart gave rock solid performances that set a high bar for the supporting ensemble. Both performers brought strong vocals and outstanding dance skills to their roles. However, greater differentiation in characterization would have helped distinguish between the pair. In the first half of the show, Carter's hard-edged Roxie failed to establish much underlying vulnerability. A wannabe showgirl trapped in a boring marriage, the character should come across as less sophisticated than her idol Velma Kelly, an established vaudeville star. Despite her self-absorbed, party-girl lifestyle, Roxie needs to win the audience's heart and cause us to overlook her glaring moral failings. We should like her, murderess or not.

Carter's best moments came in the second act, when the character's softer side peeped out from inside her hard-boiled outer shell. Her coy rendering of "Me and My Baby" allowed the audience to connect to another facet of her character. Later in the act, the courtroom scene showcased her stellar skills as a physical comedienne, evoking memories of a wonderfully goofy Lucille Ball.

Without exception, the supporting company rose to the challenges of the play's dance and vocal demands. The strong ensemble offered several standout performances. As Mama Morton, Sue Mathys held the audience in the palm of her hand beginning with her wonderful rendition of "When You're Good to Mama." The duet "Class," sung by Mathys and Patty, was also a delight. The ironic song was staged simply, allowing the considerable vocal chops of the two performers to shine.

James Michael Reilly almost stole the show with his self-effacing interpretation of Amos Hart, Roxie's loyal cuckold of a husband. His heartfelt "Mr. Cellophane" brought down the house.

David Sattler took on the role of unscrupulous lawyer Billy Flynn. Easily the best voice in the company, Sattler handled the songs with ease. His Flynn was heavy on the charm, but more sleaze factor might have added greater dimensionality.

The production knocked some of the rough edges off the musical's potential raunchiness, perhaps in deference to the tastes of its audience base. On the Sunday matinee I attended, the audience included a very heavy percentage of senior citizens along with a few families. While the production offered a gently sanitized version of gritty Chicago in the 20s, the show was artistically sound and highly entertaining.

Photo: "Cell Block Tango" from CHICAGO at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.