BY TOM ANDREW
Broadway San Diego’s short-stint offering (now through Sunday, May 13 at San Diego Civic Theatre) of Chicago the Musical starring Christie Brinkley and John O’Hurley should be seen for the ensemble and not necessarily for its headliners.
“Chicago,” written by John Kander and Fred Ebb, is based on the play of the same name. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1975, ran for close to 1,000 performances and then was revived in 1996 and has been running ever since. It has become the longest running revival on Broadway.
The original director and choreographer was the legendary Bob Fosse. His dance style is instantly recognizable and has been carried over to the recent revival and all of its national tours.
Fosse’s style and the choreography of the show makes for one very exciting night of theater. It’s precise, slinky and sexually alluring.
The story is about Roxie Hart (Brinkley) who has just been arrested and accused of killing her lover. She is sent to jail where she soon realizes that the only way she can avoid being convicted and hung is if she sensationalizes her case and casts her plight across the Windy City. She’s certain that with the right legal representation and plenty of press, she will endear herself to the public. That’s when larger-than-life media-maven lawyer and she and her lawyer, Billy Flynn (O’Hurley), glides into the picture. Surely, Flynn will get her acquitted.
However, there are a few things that stand in her way. Her husband Amos (Ron Orbach), and Velma Kelly, (Amra-Faye Wright), a prison mate, who until Roxie came along, was herself a media darling.
The show is set in a vaudevillian style, and smattered with humor from that era. The set is a simple, yet impressive bandstand; and the cast wears formfitting shear, skimpy black outfits, which are easy on the eye and appear effortless to move around in.
The songs and music are great. Kander & Ebb know their way around a musical, having written and produced more than 20 of them, while receiving critical acclaim for many of them.
Songs like theirs should be heard and sung with heart. Most of the cast members in Chicago know this; a few don’t.
Christie Brinkley may look amazing on stage, but she is not up to the task of performing the role of Roxie Hart. She has a few genuine acting moments, but her singing is breathy, cautious and flat at times. During her signature number “Roxie” you could literally hear her losing the audience. And her dancing, while minimal, doesn’t appropriately convey the Fosse style the way it should, leaving those around her to over compensate.
John O’Hurley, best known as Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ boss J. Peterman on Seinfeld, can just barely carry a tune and plays playboy lawyer Billy Flynn as if he is, well, J. Peterman – not appropriate for this role.
The reasons you should see this show are the rest of the cast members. Amra-Faye Wright plays Velma Kelly with gusto, gutsiness and grit and has the Fosse style down pat. She’s great. So is Carol Woods who plays Mama Morton. The two of them have a great duet in Act 2 called “Class.” One of the best-known numbers in the show is “Cell Block Tango” sung, danced and acted by the women prisoners of the Cook County Jail. It’s a great number; and all do a great job. But Melanie Waldron as Annie nails the attitude and style of the number more than anyone else succeeds in their respective portrayals.
Special mention should go to former San Diegan R. Lowe who plays Mary Sunshine. Lowe is taking a break from playing the role on Broadway to do this tour. Her performance is not to be missed.
The band, comprised mainly of San Diego musicians, is a little sparse, but they more than make up for what they lack in numbers by playing every note as if it’s the last time they’ll be playing them. They sound stupendous.
This production of Chicago may not be what Fosse envisioned, but it’s a decent touring show with a great band, and some excellent cast members, even if the headliners don’t live up to their names.
Christie’s performance is downright riveting, and in her own comedic style. The cast is extraordinary and she’s a perfect fit. Her shows sold out on Broadway with standing ovations.. London was a smashing success.. then New York this year.. and now San Diego. Friends have seen her multiple times.. it’ll be worth the jaunt to SD. And no doubt Los Angeles will love her as well!!
This show was a huge disappointment. My daughter and I went to see it for Mother’s Day. I was a bit nervous about whether or not Brinkley could handle the role and my fears were more than realized the moment she opened her mouth. Her acting was forced, her voice flat, and she even appeared to lose her balance twice. The rest of the cast were talented and carried the show along, but all-in-all it was not worth the price of the tickets and I wish we had opted to see ‘Wicked’ instead. Next time I’ll go with my gut instinct.