Chicago - Teen Edition

Chicago is a musical following the stories of murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart as they search for fame and fortune: ‘The American Dream’. I was very pleased to accept Curtain Up Youth Theatre’s invitation to see their production of the ‘teen edition’ of this iconic musical which still contained all the songs we know and love, with language appropriate for teen casts.

The company ‘double cast’ the lead roles and it was my pleasure to watch both casts. On night one, Scarlett-Bree Davies performed the role of Velma Kelly. She gave a strong performance from start to finish showcasing excellent vocals and dance ability. A performance full of energy; I could tell she was enjoying herself.

Cecelia Hopkins starred alongside Scarlett-Bree as Roxie who enters the show with a bang and then tries to upstage Velma at almost every opportunity. Cecilia’s performance was excellent. She had great comic timing, superb character and a fantastic, raspy quality to her singing voice. Well done.

This musical is one of my favourites and contains a role I’d love to play: Billy Flynn. Billy is the lawyer who will stop at nothing to get his clients out of prison! On night one, this role was played by 15 year old Scott Holmes. For someone so young, Scott gave a tremendous performance, holding the audience’s attention throughout the production with strong character and vocal work.

Alfie Law was great as Roxie’s husband, Amos Hart. This is a difficult role to get right but I enjoyed Alfie’s portrayal of the loving husband who struggles to be noticed.
There were good supporting performances from Iona Davies (Mama Morton), Calum Donoghue (Mary Sunshine), Lewis Worgan-Hill (Fred Casely) and Lucy Evans, Dione Griffiths, Ellie Thomas, Teagan Leyshon and Holly Lewis (The Merry Murderesses).

I returned for night two ready for another entertaining performance.

This time, Finty Kehoe was Velma Kelly. Finty gave an assured performance with strong vocals
and a real depth of character whenever she was on stage. She clearly understood what was required in the role made famous by Wales’ very own Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Sophie Watkins was opposite Finty as Roxie. Sophie had great energy throughout and her dance ability shone through with good vocals to match. Another great performance.

Jamie Sendell excelled as the aforementioned Billy Flynn. Jamie was smooth, slick and polished, just as I’d expect the character to be. His singing was excellent, as was his demeanour. He carried himself well throughout the performance and I wish him well as he leaves for London to study Musical Theatre at MPAA.

Amos Hart was played by Jonah Kelly-Fisher on night two. Jonah gave a lovely performance, showcasing excellent character combined with strong vocals.

Ezme Davies (Mama Morton) and Taia Sayce (Mary Sunshine) gave good supporting performances during this production.

The large ensemble coped well with everything they were asked to do. The vocal harmonies were particularly strong and should be applauded. ‘Razzle Dazzle’ was a particular highlight on both nights for me. I would have liked a little bit more energy in some of the dance numbers that were choreographed appropriately for this excellent cast.

The basic set allowed the action to take place on various levels and the enormous light up ‘Chicago’ really added a sense of professionalism to the show. There were a couple of technical glitches on both nights but it is tough to run twenty-seven microphones and hundreds of lighting cues without a small hiccup or two!

In conclusion, I had two brilliant evenings watching this talented group of youngsters. You never know what you’re going to get with double cast shows but each cast delivered a great production for their respective audiences. I was particularly impressed with how all the lead characters slotted into minor ensemble roles when they weren’t on duty in their lead capacity. The continuity was spot on.

Thank you Curtain Up Youth Theatre for two great nights of theatre and for your excellent hospitality. I look forward to visiting you all next year in your 25th Anniversary year!

The views in this report are solely of the author.

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