“Give ’em the old razzle dazzle,
Razzle dazzle ’em
Give ’em an act with lots of flash in it,
And the reaction will be passionate”
And passionate it was. Chicago is a multi-award winning musical, and when its recent tour came to the Grand Opera House in Belfast, fans of all ages came running (suffice to say the main audience consisted of middle-aged women, not that that’s a bad thing) with jazz hands in tow.
As usually is the case with Chicago, the stage set was simple, everything was plain black and the background was made up of the orchestra standing and sitting at different levels. This really allowed for the performances to shine as the focus was solely on the actors and their talents.
For those who don’t know, Chicago is the story of glamorous murderesses Roxie Hart (played by Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian) and Velma Kelly (played by Coronation Street actress Tupele Dorgu) and their time in a women’s prison. It’s quite unusual and refreshing to see two lead women take the stage and both actresses play their parts spot on. Velma Kelly is played as somewhat of a loose cannon, an unpredictable and often childish character; whereas Roxie Hart is played as a (not so) sweet young girl who gets mixed up in the wrong crowd and finds solace in fame.
The musical features loads of songs that you’ll know, even if you didn’t know you knew them such as: Razzle Dazzle, All That Jazz, Mr Cellophane and Cell Block Tango.
Chicago truly has a star studded cast, with absolutely every member of the main cast being recognisable. From Matron “Mama” Morton being played by Bernie Nolan, to Billy Fllynn being played by Stefan Booth from Hollyoaks, it felt more like seeing old friends perform.
The beauty of the show for me was its humour – from interactions with the maestro to Velma being forced off-stage, every number was performed with personality and gusto.
Chicago is a relentless, sultry, almost burlesque show which is sure to dazzle all that come to see it. From the fantastic choreography, to the soulful singing and passionate performances, this show is bound to please.
