Murderesses are dramatized as sexy vixens wantonly exploiting their notoriety in Drayton Entertainments’ Chicago. The audience couldn’t have enjoyed it more. The eye popping spectacle plays out an intriguing story set in the darker side of the ’20s, with the best there is of song and dance.
The opening night audience was abuzz with anticipation, quite possibly catching the vibe of a brilliant cast waiting to burst onstage. From that moment all were engaged in the story of chanteuses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart who both faced death row for the murders of their cheating men. They enlist the help of corrupt prison matron Mama Morton to make strategic phone calls and lawyer Billy Flynn to turn their incarceration into a media frenzy. Their ambitious efforts collide in an explosion of dance and energy that captivates.
Originally billed as a “musical vaudeville”, Chicago is based on the 1926 play that blossomed many years later into a mega Broadway hit and Academy Award-winning film starring Renée Zellweger as Roxie and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma.
Cook County Jail is portrayed onstage as a dungeon-like home to six murderesses, all of whom have committed crimes of passion, and all of whom are as talented as they are beautiful. The stage is awash in abs, legs and vitality as the 18 member cast perform hit songs such as All That Jazz, Funny Honey, and Razzle Dazzle.
The ingenious set design by Allan Wilbee incorporates the partially visible eight-piece live band belting out the jazz inspired score on an upper level to the “jailhouse”.
Waterloo native Jodi McFadden plays Velma, who wants to become a star despite the glitch of her incarceration. Her precise and wildly talented song and dance moves hint at such former roles as in the Broadway production of Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark and the movie version of Chicago.
Jayme Armstrong as Roxie noticeably savours the role and captures the multidimensional character that a murderess housewife looking for a gig in the entertainment biz must surely be. She is in turn crafty, cute, smart and sexy as the moment requires. She has previously played many nicer roles such as Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid and the title role in Mary Poppins. As Roxie she murders her lover and lets her schmuck of a husband take the rap.
Roxie’s hapless husband is played by Geoffrey Whynot who can’t even get the spotlight to stick with him. However he does capture the sympathy of the audience and lends a comedic touch as in his rendition of Mr. Cellophane.
Valerie Boyle erupts the audience as the charismatic, profiteering Mama Morton who self-promotes in song. Her powerful voice resonates and each lyric is used well.
Dean Hollin plays lawyer Billy Flynn with all of the pompadour and sleaze of a lounge singer.
Several cast members seemed unrecognizable in their sultry guise and manner though most were Drayton Entertainment favourites. Christy Adamson, Caitlin Goguen, Bethany Kovarik, Sarah Matton and Jennifer Mote were the best of murderesses in numbers such as Cell Block Tango.
Male performers had several roles to fill in support of the murderesses and were passionate in them. Among them were Joel Taylor, Stephen Roberts and David Light, who was beautifully murdered but had other roles to perform.
Director and choreographer Mike Jackson appeared in Chicago on Broadway and many other roles, most recently as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz at the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge.
Costume Designer Ivan Brozic has created an edgy, provocative look for the murderesses with a minimum of fabric. Husbands may attend the theatre more often.
Chicago runs now through June 27. Tickets can be purchased in person at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, online at www.stjacobscountryplayhouse.com or by calling the box office at 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
