Review: Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre Presents Kander & Ebb's Stunning CHICAGO

“Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to see a story of greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery…all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts. Thank you…and welcome!”  --the opening lines of CHICAGO

I didn’t know if there would be a show or not.  Hurricane Helene had just hit  the night before, with devastating storm surges all over the Bay area, and watching the news, I could see locations near US-19 in Hudson were devastated.  Thankfully that wasn’t the case with the Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre, which happens to be not far from some of those most sadly impacted by the horrible storm on US-19.  The theatre suffered no damages, and with the cliché that the show must go on being quite true, that Friday night Kander and Ebb’s CHICAGO played to a nearly packed house. I was beyond thankful because if there was ever a time we needed entertainment, especially with a production this solid and fun, it’s now.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more famous musical than CHICAGO (music by John Kander; lyrics by Fred Ebb; book by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb).  But this was not always the case.  When it first opened in the summer of 1975, it always seemed in the shadow of a much bigger success, A Chorus Line.  And for years CHICAGO would always be the red-headed stepchild next to the Pulitzer Prize winning Chorus Line. But in the 1990s, the revival of CHICAGO gained new life, and with its own Oscar-winning movie in 2002, now stands as the more popular of the two shows (and the longest running of them).  I guess it was too far ahead of its time in 1975, and the public addiction of true-crime celebrities like the Menendez Brothers and OJ Simpson ushered in an era where CHICAGO actually mirrored the real life of the ‘90’s: Be a criminal and become a star.

CHICAGO centers on two women, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, who are in prison for murder and who the tabloids are oohing and aahing over.  Slick lawyer Billy Flynn has a surefire way of getting each of them off the hook for their crimes, and by the end, both women became stars in their own glitzy musical act.  In CHICAGO, the liars win and crime really does pay.

When I first saw the show on Broadway 25 years ago or so, I thought it a brilliant indictment of the current criminals-as-celebrities fad that was going on (even though it was written two decades earlier).  But then I saw it several times since, and I found that the show seemed to emphasize womanhood and female empowerment.  Now, in our post-covid world, the show seems to underscore its jaded joyousness; it’s all about the fun in a universe where the guilty get away with murder and, as stated in the title of another musical from long ago, anything goes.

The production of CHICAGO at the Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre is marvelously tight and beautifully performed and staged, a worthy rival to the Broadway production I saw decades ago.  It’s simply outstanding.

Leading the way is Charity Terrio, one of the show’s producers, as Roxie.  Her “Roxie” sizzles, a slow burn that turns into an absolute scorcher.  She is ably aided by Sarah McCann’s terrific Velma, who gets to show off her powerful pipes in such songs as “All That Jazz” and “I Can’t Do It Alone.”

Truman Griffin makes for a marvelously slick Billy Flynn, the well-groomed lawyer who’s in it for the money.  Mr. Griffin has a tremendous singing voice, showcased in the number “We Both Reached for the Gun,” which garnered applause throughout due to his character’s persistent nudge to the audience as he hit an elongated note.  He reminds me of a young Ryan Gosling, though to be fair he is a much better singer than the talented Mr. Gosling.

The indelible Mona Lim makes for a strong Mama Morton, the matron of the jail house and also sort of an agent for these criminals.  “In this town, murder is a form of entertainment,” she proclaims.  Her “When You’re Good to Mama” knocked it out of the ballpark.

Josephine R. makes for a Mary Sunshine for the ages.  They hit notes so outrageously high in “A Little Bit of Good” that would even give Klaus Nomi trouble. 

Howie Schaal steals the show as Roxie’s schlubby hubby, Amos.  His “Mister Cellophane” was both a showstopper and a heartbreaker, perhaps the best song of the night.  Brilliant work, making Amos more than just a one-note caricature; he’s a sad sack who can be easily manipulated, and with Mr. Schaal in the role, became a truly sympathetic character. 

Best of all is the ensemble who spark the show to life from the very beginning and never let their foot off the accelerator.  Each one is distinct, each one able to showcase his or her skills—whether for dancing, singing or comedy.  My iconic Fosse bowler hat goes off to Iraya Catalina, Thomas DalCeredo, Reachel Knowles, Brady Ryan Phillips, Cari Rose, Katie Van Horn, Kyle Channell, Michael Hartman, David Benjamin Perry, Savannah Rhodes, Adriana Michelle Scheer, and Tezz Yancey (the latter a formidable Fred Casely).  They are the heart of the show, and whenever they are lighting up the stage, all is well with the world.     

Music director Zachary Ryan gets the most out of the vocals of this dynamite cast.  The live orchestra helps set the adrenaline-pumping tone.  They include Jonathan Harvey on trombone, Irv Goldberg on bass, Macario Buendia on drums, Robert Carmichael and Nick Lipsette on trumpets, and Denise Isaacson on reeds.  They sound extraordinary.

I knew the tech elements of the show would be top-notch with Tom Hansen’s set design and Dalton Hamilton’s lighting.  The set has a life of its own, where we feel like we’re being bathed in neon like Disney’s Electrical Parade smoldering in hell.  The lighting is pitch-perfect, where the use of silhouettes has seldom been better.  During Billy’s big number, “All I Care About,” he’s surrounded by a surfeit of lighted pink hearts as if we took a dip in a box of candy Valentine hearts.

Charity Terrio’s costumes evoke the Fosse-esque nature of the show, with the cast dressed in head to toe black and donning those redolent bowler hats. 

Charlotte d’Amboise has directed and choreographed CHICAGO with surefire confidence and creativity; this is one of the best-paced shows I have experienced of late.  That said, although the pacing is close to perfect, some aspects of the show are not.  There were some minor microphone miscues (the mic oftentimes turning on halfway through a character’s lines), and the last flashy number by Roxie and Velma—“Hot Honey Rag”—seemed to go on way too long for its own good and lacked the needed razzle dazzle for the final number (the choreography, so good all night, seemed redundant here).

I hadn’t been to the Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre for several years, before the latest renovations.  The recent layout of the tables make it for a much more intimate and comfortable setting.  The audience seemed to have a great time; they skewed older, and I at 61 appeared to be one of the younger ones there. 

The food, served buffet-style, was fine if unspectacular (I just wish they had included a variation of deep-dish Chicago pizza in the mix).  The Chicago Italian Beef with Pickled Giardiniera and Sweet Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions were serviceable at best, and the Cornmeal Fried Catfish Piccata sounded better than it tasted, as did the dessert I ordered—a peanut butter cup pie with Hershey chocolate cookie crust.  (The Green Beans with Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette turned out to be my favorite item of the evening.)  Patrons can also imbibe on such specialty cocktails as the fruity All That Jazz, the chocolaty Roxie, a variation of a gin martini called the Razzle Dazzle, a Not Guilty Margarita, and a Famous Amos Mock (strawberry Lemonade Mocktail).  The food was fine, the service exceptional, and the show a joy. 

I’m just glad there wasn’t a character named Helene in CHICAGO, so for two wonderfully fun hours, we could dive into that cynical city of the past where we didn’t have to think about that damn hurricane and any devastation that it caused.  We could relax, tap our feet to the infectious Kander music, laugh, eat, drink, be merry, and best of all, escape the real world of 2024.  I needed this; chances are, you do too.

CHICAGO plays at the Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theatre until October 20th.     

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