Review: CHICAGO, King's Theatre, Glasgow, 19 September 2016

Based on real events in the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a woman who shoots her lover and has to employ a smooth-talking lawyer to keep herself from death row. After initially trying to persuade her husband to take the blame, she finds herself in prison alongside fellow a murderess, the infamous Velma Kelly. Once a household name in the vaudeville scene, Kelly is about to stand trial for killing her husband and sister.

In 1920s Chicago, murder is a form of entertainment: the two women become celebrities and their lawyer Billy Flynn is keen to capitalise on their fame. On this tour, Flynn is played by John Partridge, who didn't quite have the required charisma for the role, but appeared to be a roaring success with the audience regardless. Hayley Tamaddon is quite a playful Roxie Hart and really works the humour of the character while delivering an excellent vocal performance.

There was audible disappointment throughout the auditorium when it was announced that due to unforeseen circumstances Jessie Wallace would not be performing as Mama Morton. Understudy Ellie Mitchell took full advantage of her chance to shine and blew everyone away with her rendition of "When You're Good To Mama".

The staging is always relatively simple for Chicago, as are the costumes, but this works well for the production which already has such strong content. The song list is outstanding, with too many hits to name. While the opener "All That Jazz" felt a little lacklustre and the sound wasn't great, it soon picked up the pace for the rest of the performance. My personal highlights were "Cell Block Tango", "Class" and "We Both Reached For The Gun". Chicago is also known for its seductive choreography and the performances from the ensemble were fantastic.

It's been over 40 years since Chicago opened on Broadway and it is showing no signs of age. This is a brilliant staging of an excellent musical and well worth seeing.

Chicago runs at the King's Theatre until Saturday 24th September.

Read our interview with Hayley Tamaddon

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