Like the Vaudeville shows it lovingly impersonates, Chicago is all spectacle. Roxie and Velma constantly clamber for the spotlight, Billy Flynn’s court cases are The People’s Court taken to new levels, and the whole production revels in the thrills of celebrity status while simultaneously skewering it. It’s equal parts cultural commentary as it is good old-fashioned razzle dazzle, satirizing the justice system and the media hysteria that often comes with it.
In the musical, Roxie (Andrèa Black) and Velma (Christa Cullain) are two murderesses awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. With Billy Flynn (Jesse Gervais-Weedmark) as their attorney, the two rivals attempt to escape criminal punishment and chase show business success. The Carleton Musical Theatre Society (CMTS) production featured plenty of memorable moments, even though the whole production failed to keep pace with the exuberant performances of its leads.
From the opening lyrics to “All That Jazz,” Cullain established herself as a magnetic presence on stage, complete with raw, sexual energy, a powerful singing voice, and considerable control over her character. Numbers like “I Can’t Do It Alone” allowed her to show off her dance chops, which she did without any hesitancy.
With Black, she found her stride about midway through the first act, delivering excellent performances on “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “Roxie.” Black showed remarkable range with her character, bouncing between sociopath Roxie and lovingly innocent Roxie complete with a southern belle accent without any issues, and often to great comedic effect.
Gervais-Weedmark as Flynn fully embraced the spectacle aspect of the show. From literally every bar in “Razzle Dazzle” to strutting the stage surrounded by female ensemble members wielding money-coated fans during “All I Care About is Love,” Gervais-Weedmark thrived in the spotlight. His performance carried the courtroom scenes, and he showed strong chemistry with Black on “We Both Reached for the Gun.”
Maureen Quinn McGovern as “Mama” Morton and Emily Asmar as Mary Sunshine stood out in their supporting roles, each with their own capable solo performances. Asmar in particular had one of the strongest vocal performances of the production, with her soaring solo turn on “A Little Bit of Good.” She wasn’t an easy character to miss while she was on-stage, as her voice was excellent and her wardrobe resembled a LazyTown cast member.
The play essentially rested on the shoulders of these five performers, and they were up to the task of doing the heavy lifting. Watching some of the stronger performances exposed the forgettable nature of some of the minor roles, as your memory of them would vanish as soon as they left the stage. The production succeeds because of the captivating nature of its leads, and there was an implicit challenge for their supporting cast to keep up. Unfortunately, that didn’t always happen.
With Chicago, CMTS has a show where there’s no such thing as too much. It’s impossible to have an excess of spectacle, drama, or madness on stage, and for the most part, they just go for it. It’s above all a fun performance with room for strong performers to really stand out, and seeing cast members embrace that challenge was really a sight to behold.
Photo provided
