Chicago

I was delighted to return to the Daneside Theatre again this week to see the NODA award winning Centre Stage Youth Theatre, who are back treading the boards with their High School Edition of Chicago the Musical. Directed by Jill Mason, this production had all the elements to showcase the (obvious) talents of this vast ensemble of young actors, singers and dancers – ‘Congleton Has Talent’!

For the most part, the direction was in keeping with the overall theme, style and genre. If was to be a little picky, which let’s face it, I am! I would’ve preferred a little more pizzaz and energy in scenes. For me, the dancing and the singing were SO strong that the acting scenes stood out as being the weakest link. I just felt that a few of the characters were a little too laid back and naturalistic. This is purely conjecture however as both myself and the audience were vastly entertained throughout!

Using a minimal set, this production didn’t need anything jazzy or too spectacular. The set was used very well throughout, particularly during the courtroom scene. Whilst I wasn’t a fan of some of the characterisations of some parts (Mary Sunshine) and the fact that we had eight merry murderesses rather than six, I have to say that a lot of hard work and dedication has gone into this production, especially during the pandemic, and it certainly shows!

I have choreographed this show on a number of occasions, and I have to say a huge well done to choreographer, Kim Woodall for her inventive choreography which incorporated the Fosse style. The cast were extremely well drilled, and each actor performed brilliantly! I cannot express how much I loved the choreography, and the dancing – well done!

Losing talented members can be hard for a society, but it’s fair to say that as the old members have left, new members have shone brighter than bright in the spotlight. I was very pleasantly surprised at how good the vocals were for this production and I appreciated all of the harmonies and vocal nuances that was delivered. Well done to Musical Director Louise Bours for your efforts. It was great watching you conduct throughout too!

At times, societies can take the costume style to become a little sleazy or over the top, but again, I was pleased with the simplicity of the costuming for characters. I really liked the styling for Mamma Morton also, which was new and inventive, as well as the styling for Velma. I loved her wig also. There were a couple of chorus members with make-up that looked a little heavy but I’m being really picky here.

Lighting and sound were effective but not overly impactful (this is a good thing) as the emphasis should be on the action etc. There were a few mics not turned on in time and the mic for Velma stopped working halfway through act one, but this was quickly rectified. Neither of these issues had any real negative affect on the production. There were far more opportunities for lighting to be more inventive and add layers to scenes, but this is just a personal thought – this production didn’t need it.

The star of the show for me was Lainie Beard as Velma Kelly. Lainie gave a brilliant performance and entertained the audience throughout. I loved her version of this iconic character, and her singing and dancing were excellent! Bravo!

Whilst I personally didn’t overly like this version of the character of Roxie, I cannot fault Lily Payton’s performance ability. The acting was a little too laid back for me and I didn’t care for the arc of the characters journey, however, Lily’s singing and dancing were brilliant, and she was well cast in this role. I also liked her line delivery – her diction and articulation were great.

Luca Farrall was entertaining as the money grabbing lawyer Billy Flynn. Whilst there wasn’t an abundance of charm or suaveness from this interpretation, Luca had the stage presence and a good commence of the stage. I really enjoyed ‘All I care About is Love’ and ‘We Both Reached For the Gun’ - which was visually brilliant.

Grace Kennedy as Mamma Morton was unlike anything that I’ve seen from this character before. I like being surprised and this was certainly a surprise. Grace had brilliant stage presence and I loved watching her. I only wish she could’ve been on stage a lot more! Well done!

Sadly, Matthew Hampson didn’t quite hit the mark or have as much impact on the text or audience as he could. Whilst this character of Amos is a little laid back and naturalistic, it was slightly too far laid back for me. I’m being perhaps too harsh here as Matthew got all of the laughs and aww’s from the audience in all of the places that he should have so what do I know!

I didn’t really understand the character choice of Lewis Robinson’s Mary Sunshine. This is more of a directional dig rather than a jibe at Lewis. It was a choice after all, and Lewis committed fully to the characterisation - for which I cannot fault him. I felt it was a little too much high pitched and too much of a boy in a dress gag – again, this is a directorial decision. Lewis showed good commitment to this role.

Oliver Copsey was well received as Fred Casely. I liked his style and energy and he performed very well, with great stage presence too. Proof that no part is indeed too small.

The cell bock girls were fabulous, with the Cell Block Tango one of the highlights! Each were very well cast and performed brilliantly!

Overall, this was a very strong performance from a society who seem to be getting stronger and stronger year on year. There are SO MANY highlights from this production! I was going to name a few songs that stood out, but I’d basically be listing the whole show! The singing was brilliant from all but it was the dancing that stood out as being exemplary. A HUGE well done to this talented bunch and I very much look forward to returning to see your variety show in September!

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