Chicago Teen Edition

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago tells the scandalous tale of fame, fortune, and justice gone awry. Nightclub singer Velma Kelly and housewife Roxie Hart find themselves locked up in Cook County Jail for murder, both desperate to escape conviction and reclaim the spotlight. With the help of smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn, they manipulate the press, the public, and even each other in their quest for stardom. In a world where headlines mean everything, Chicago is a sharp-edged satire on celebrity culture, crime and corruption - proving that crime is just another performance.

This was a very polished production which owes much to the vision and innovation of Director Jamie O’Rourke. The set was simple and very effective. A large, illuminated sign showed ‘Chicago’ to ensure that the audience knew where the action was taking place. Good use was made of lighting to create atmosphere, and sound levels were ideal for the venue with the cabaret seating arrangement. All the cast projected well and could be heard clearly. Music was to backing tracks which at times can be very difficult but not for this group who were perfectly in time and voice, so well done. All due to the hard work and creativity of Musical Director Ross Gunning.

Casting of the main characters worked well leading to very strong and powerful performances.

Roxie Hart was played by Isla McIntosh and what a tremendous performance from Isla, she danced, sang and acted with so much energy and talent, this only added to the performance from Carice Baillie, as Velma Kelly who opened Act One with the ensemble in a rousing version of All That Jazz, very well sung and great acting and movement suiting of the character. Evan Steel was the smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn, full of wonderful ideas to obtain the acquittal of Roxie and Velma. Roxie’s devoted and rather naive husband, Amos Hart was well played by Gregor Holden, and I really enjoyed his version of Mr Cellophane. Faye Campbell had an interesting role as Mama Morton, the corrupt jailor. She performed this role well and gave a wonderful rendition of the infamous When You’re Good to Mama.

The Cell Block girls all performed their roles enthusiastically and with good movement. In fact, the dance movements overall were many and varied, thanks to the creativity of Choreographer Louise Freck.

Well done to everyone involved in any way. You can all be very proud of this production and the audience loved it.

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