“Chicago, the Musical” Review – Captivating, Energetic and Fun

CHICAGO on Broadway: NFL Legend Eddie George as Billy Flynn with the Ladies Ensemble
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While Chicago, the Musical is the #1 Longest Running American Musical and the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording, it is scheduled to leave this city, its namesake, on Sunday, May 12th. You won’t want to miss it.  Brash, bawdy and “ in your face”, with great staging, costuming, incredible dancing, some pathos and much innuendo, you can forget the world outside and enter the underbelly of Chicago in the 1920’s.

Dylis Croman as Roxie Hart Credit Jeremy Daniel

Chicago, the Musical is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

CHICAGO on Broadway: NFL Legend Eddie George as Billy Flynn

With music‎ by ‎John Kanderbook‎ by ‎Fred Ebb‎; and ‎Bob FosseLyrics‎: ‎Fred Ebb Chicago:A Musical Vaudeville opened on June 3, 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre, and ran for a total of 936 performances, closing on August 27, 1977, with a 1996 revival that has enjoyed 9,291 performances as of March 25, 2019. This musical was based on a play of the same name by reporter and playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins, who was assigned to cover the 1924 trials of accused murderers Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune. There was a belief that in Chicago, feminine or attractive women could not be convicted.

Terra C. MacLeod as Velma Kelly and Ensemble

Beginning with “All that Jazz”, the songs and dances tell most of the story with short bits of dialogue. The orchestra which was framed on stage was a stroke of genius.  The musicians were excellent. The entire cast was top notch. While the first act was loud and brash, the second act revealed richer characters that were sympathetic.  Paul Vogt as Amos Hart singing “Mister Cellophane” that gave this show heart.  I was awed by the energy in the show and left with many of the songs playing in my head.

Photo by Catherine Ashmore

The national tour is directed by David Hyslop and choreographed by David Bushman. Walter Bobbie is the director of the original New York Production and Ann Reinking was the original choreographer in the style of Bob Fosse. CHICAGO features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Scott Lehrer. The production also features orchestrations by Ralph Burns, supervising music direction by Rob Fisher.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 

Thursday, May 9 at 7:30PM , Friday, May 10 at 7:30PM, Saturday, May 11 at 2PM & 8PM , Sunday, May 12 at 2PM 

TICKET INFORMATION Individual tickets are currently on sale and range in price from $30-$100 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing Gr********@Br***************.com. For more information, visit Broadway in Chicago

A digital lottery began May 6 at 9AM, and 26 tickets will be sold for every performance at $25 each. The lottery will happen online only the day before each performance. In addition, a limited number of day-of-show rush tickets will be offered for each performance at $49 each. These will be available at all performances of the run for purchase in-person at the Cadillac Palace Theatre box office beginning when the box office opens daily. Seat locations vary per performance for the digital lottery and day-of show tickets.

The cast of Broadway’s CHICAGO PC: Jeremy Daniel

HOW TO ENTER THE DIGITAL LOTTERY

·         Visit https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/chicago-2019/

·         Follow the link “Click here for details and to enter the lottery”

·         Click the “Enter Now” button for the performance you want to attend.

·         Fill out the entry form including the number of tickets you would like (1 or 2). Patrons will receive a confirmation email once they have validated their email (one time only) and successfully entered the lottery.

·         After the lottery closes, patrons will be notified via email within minutes as to whether they have won or not.

·         Winners have 60 minutes from the time the lottery closes to pay online with a credit card.

·         After payment has been received, patrons can pick up tickets at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) no sooner than 30 minutes before show time with a valid photo ID.

Broadway In Chicago proudly celebrates 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre

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