Give em the old razzle dazzle

After months of anticipation I finally got to see Chicago the musical. I had high hopes as the film is one of my favourite musicals, and after already seeing a couple of really good west end shows (Billy Elliot & Mamma Mia) was keen to see more.

However, whilst opener All That Jazz grabbed our attention it lacked the goose bump inducing quality of the film rendition, and was marred by our limited vision (admittedly we were sitting in upper circle seats, but the steep incline down to the stage was pretty nausea inducing). The view continued to be a problem, but we weren't keen on forking out an extra £1 for the binoculars conveniently situated on the seats in front of us.



The set itself was very minimal, a dark, brightly lit stage with a staggered band stand taking up most of it. Although it meant we could concentrate on the music, a bit of added sparkle wouldn't have gone amiss. As it were, props were very much functional and included chairs, ladders and the token couple of feathers.

The performance was good, and though protagonist Roxy's performance was a little lack lustre, Velma Kelly's belting solo's and impressive dancing compensated for it. An enjoyable show overall but it was over priced and I would hesitate recommending it as a night out; instead suggesting the film. I'll leave you with my favourite number from the show, both on stage and screen, The Cell Block Tango.