Over the last couple of years, Australian theatre-goers have been able to enjoy a wide variety of new direct-from-broadway musicals from the number of touring producers travelling across the country. With arguably only the one major musical theatre venue in Brisbane, it is not guaranteed that every musical will even make it up to Queensland, and one could have the assumption that with a wave of new musicals coming to Australia over the next couple of years – that more classics might be missed out on in favour of Melbourne and Sydney. The Gordon Frost Organisation however is one producer that is bringing a couple of musicals from decades past to Brisbane – one of which is the 1970s classic Chicago the Musical. Performing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre right now until early December, it may be an older musical compared to others on the market, but its themes and messages remain well and truly relevant in these times.
on first impression, Chicago the Musical may not be what you FIRST EXPECT GOING IN BLIND
Should you decide to purchase tickets to Chicago with no expectations on whats to come from the narrative – then you might be surprised that this is not just a mixture of vaudeville performances in a dusty and dank early 20th century club and the happenings within it, as I arguably did when only about six months ago I sat down to watch the 2002 movie adaptation starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Instead while it retains the iconic music and dance styling one would expect, it is a much darker tale of murder, celebrity culture and how the manipulation of facts pits public opinion against the truth.
Chicago the Musical follows the story of prisoners Roxie Hart (portrayed by Natalie Bassingthwaighte) and Velma Kelly (portrayed by Alinta Chidzey), who for their individual reasons are imprisoned for murder. The former who murders someone she was having an affair with, and the latter accused of murdering her husband and sister for an affair they were having. Both acquire the services of a high-profile lawyer and personality Billy Flynn (portrayed in Brisbane by Tom Burlinson). But through manipulation of the media and the Chicago public more broadly by the lawyer and his newest client, each has to fight for attention as it turns out, the key to a speedy successful trial isn’t always the truth, but how you are perceived and how newsworthy you are.
This is more of a “thinking” musical, and in my opinion isn’t one you could just lounge back in your seat and watch still hoping to enjoy the narrative. But dedicating your attention to what is performed on-stage, you will be treated to not only some amazing choreography by Bob Fosse and music by John Kander and Fred Ebb (granted, those alone would be a justifiable enough to see Chicago) but in a world riling from “fake news” and manipulation of the public, it is more relevant than ever today. Despite its dark themes, viewers are treated to a fun mix of comedy, snarkiness, acrobatics and even the odd bit of fourth wall breaking.
In terms of the songs, even if you haven’t seen Chicago before, there are several songs which you would have heard at some point in your life – All that Jazz performed by Velma Kelly being one of the main ones which I have kept humming for weeks now. With arguably no bland song in the mix, highlights included “Mister Cellophane” by Roxie’s husband Amos, the “Cell Block Tango” where we discover many of the prisoners macabre stories and a fun “retelling” of Roxie’s crime “We Both Reached for the Gun”.
The Leading Ladies Were Amazing
Walking past signage for Chicago the Musical on more than a daily basis for the last few months, The Gordon Frost Organisation really pushed their leading trio – Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Alinta Chidzey and Casey Donovan – on promotional materials in Brisbane. All accomplished performers with a history with a history of song, dance and acting; the trio really melded into their respective roles well. Ms. Bassingthwaighte as arguably the lead character in the musical impressed with strong vocals which suited the setting and Ms. Chidzey wowed with not only her fantastic jazz numbers, but just how well she managed the choreography in their role.
Casey Donovan is arguably one of my favourite Australian stage performers, with fantastic vocals to match – her performance of the Killer Queen in We Will Rock You still reverberates in my memory today. She suited the corrupt matron role of Matron “Mama” Morton perfectly, delivering a few of the musicals really notable songs, but seeing them make minor appearances outside of her couple of numbers was a little bit disappointing.
The trio is joined on-stage in Brisbane by Tom Burlinson and Rodney Dobson in the male lead roles of Billy Flynn and Amos Hart. Both were highlight performers in their own right, especially Mr. Dobson whose performance of “Mr. Cellophane” had the audience arguably cheering the loudest that night.
Staging Made it a Little Hard to Feel Immersed in the Story
I love when producers take their band out of the orchestra pit and somehow incorporate them into the stage so they are discreet but their work can be admired. The Gordon Frost Organisations’ performances of Anything Goes and We Will Rock You are two examples of where they have met the right balance – having them on-stage and even engaging with the cast in the latter, but still out of the way. While I can appreciate the decision behind incorporating the band onto the stage this time around, and loved the few banters between the on-stage characters and the conductor, the presence of the band felt a bit too intrusive this time around with them taking up most of the rear of the stage on incrementally rising platforms . This is especially considering that staging otherwise was kept to a minimum, which at least from my point of view obstructed my ability to completely feel immersed in each scene.
Final Words on Chicago the Musical’s 2019 Australian Season
Highly relevant still in this decade despite portraying a time a century ago, Chicago the Musical’s 2019 Australian should be on your to-see list if you enjoy the more narrative-driven less-upbeat/pop musicals. Complemented by a fantastic lead/ensemble cast and songs that might just become the next ear-worm in your head – to me it was only let down by minimalist staging and costuming which didn’t always manage to get me in the head-space of the narrative being told. Even if this might not seem like your cup of tea, do take the time to view the song previews above, they may (or granted, may not) surprise you.
Acknowledgements
Two (2x) complementary tickets to see Chicago the Musical were provided by the shows Brisbane publicist for the purpose of this review.
Where to Purchase Tickets?
Chicago the Musical will be performed at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Lyric Theatre until Saturday 7 December 2019. Tickets are priced between $59.90 and $189.90 excluding any transaction fees by QTIX who are the authorised ticket seller for the musical, or any discounts being run. Ticket pricing will be dependent on seating reserve and your chosen session date/time. A cheaper ticket price can indicate a vantage point that is either to the side of a row, further back in the theatre or have some viewing restrictions. You can confirm ticket availability and find details on booking channels HERE.
Chicago the Musical will then be headed to The Arts Centre Melbourne from 14 December 2019 until at least Friday 21 February 2020. To find out more information on ticketing, visit the venues’ official website OR click HERE.
