‘Chicago’ @ AT&T Performing Arts Center (Winspear)
—Teresa Marrero
For musical theater enthusiasts, Chicago is one of those emblematic shows that brings forth lovers of a good story (what´s not to like about the ever-present sensationalism of a passion-infused murder?), a great book (by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb, who also did the lyrics), an upbeat jazz score (John Kander), and the paradigmatic choreography of the one and only Fosse.
Premiering in 1975, Chicago holds the record for Broadway’s longest-running American musical (coming in just behind the Brit-hit The Phantom of the Opera). It’s been revived several times to great acclaim; in fact, the 1996 Broadway production (with Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, and Joey Grey, among many others) was the longest-running musical revival in Broadway history.
With this magnificent jewel in the crown, AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Broadway at the Center series gave us a minimalist yet very satisfying production of Chicago the Musical this past week at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.
The orchestra sat on a graded seating arrangement upstage, with an opening through which actors could emerge from its center. For the most part the choreographed song and dance numbers took place downstage, close to the audience. The costumes remained on the black spectrum, showing off the chiseled bodies of the male and female dancers.
Kailin Brown gave us a stellar performance as the tall, lanky legs-and-arms-forever Velma Kelly. She was sultry, sassy, willowy, and spectacular in that understated way in which Fosse choreographs his characters. She and the company got the show revved up from the beginning with the ever popular “All That Jazz.”
Katie Frieden brought humor, pathos, and vulnerability to her rendition of that inimitable co-protagonist Roxie Hart.
Connor Sullivan’s Billy Flynn, that larger-than-life cynical lawyer, provided a contrast to Robert Quiles’ Amos Hart (who, by the way, earned the audience’s compassion as the story unfolded). Illeana “illy” Kirven’s portrayal of Matron “Mama” Morton gave us a sassy “When You are Good to Mama,” and J. Terrell’s Mary Sunshine hit the high notes with ease in the unforgettable “A Little Bit of Good.”
The orchestra, led by musical director and conductor Cameron Blake Kinnear, created a remarkable synergy with the dance movements, highlighting the genius of Fosse’s never-gets-old minimalist jazz moves.
However, perhaps one of the most energizing aspect of Friday evening’s performance was the audience. Yes, the audience.
The feeling that kept bubbling up within me is that…wow Dallas, you are a GREAT audience. As in other popular musicals (Hamilton, for instance) we’ve seen in recent seasons, in the house were about six bus-loads of Dallas ISD students. And oh, did they get into it! They provided a wonderful, participatory soundtrack that echoed the character’s mischiefs, longings, disappointments, and triumphs.
How wonderful it feels to have the audience right there with the actors’ performance, not missing a beat? Priceless.
Thank you, Dallas ISD, for bringing young people to the theater, and giving them the opportunity to “grow” their appreciation of this particular cultural expression. They are tomorrow’s audiences.
It didn’t matter that many of us had seen the movie of Chicago or other productions. This one was worth every penny.
Teresa Marrero is Professor of Latin American and Latinx theater and performance at the University of North Texas. She loves reviewing dance and theater in all genres and appreciates onstagentx.com for the opportunity to do so.
