Theater Review: CHICAGO

by John Garcia of John Garcia's The Column

CHICAGO. The musical that arrived on Broadway in 1975 and was met with mixed critical reaction and tepid box office. Then in 1996 we saw the birth of its arrival, which was perfect timing for its rediscovery.

Back in 1975 the idea of scandal, murder, fame, and the justice system simply did not strike a chord with theater audiences. Not for a jaded 1996 audience. We had the Mendez brothers and OJ Simpson for god's sake! We are now in the hype of media overload with the tabloid TV shows and magazines, gossip reporters grabbing tables at the Ivy near the stars, & of course let's not forget the Internet! As I type this, on live TV we have the murder trial of famed music producer Phil Spector, who is accused of shooting a B list actress.

Since 1996, CHICAGO continues to be a juggernaut hit for Kander & Ebb. It has even moved through three Broadway houses: The Richard Rodgers, the Shubert, and the Ambassador-where it is still playing.

Let's not forget the film version that earned lots of Oscar gold (including Best Pic) and was a major box office hit.

For myself, I have seen the revival on Broadway with its original cast (Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking) and over nine national tours. Besides Neuwirth and Reinking, I have watched such luminous ladies as Sandy Duncan, Brooke Shields, Deidre Goodwin, Stephanie Pope, Riva Rice, and Bianca Marroquin portray our two Cook County murderesses.

It pains me greatly that I never got to see the two great legends of Broadway, Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon in the original '75 production.

One of the major components of CHICAGO that I never, ever get tired of watching is that marvelous Fosse choreography. Those pops, the outstretched arms and legs in an array of unique, precise contortions, the pop of the head, the small flair and fan like position of the fingers, and all those other signature Fosse movements. This show displays the majestic beauty of choreography that we will never see in Broadway's future. Sure we do have amazing choreographers working today (Susan Stroman & Jerry Mitchell), but let's be honest here. We have yet to see the brilliance and unique craft of dance like Fosse or Michael Bennett.

Even after nine viewings of CHICAGO, I still thoroughly enjoy watching the brilliance of the combination of the "Razzle Dazzle" number that segues into the courtroom scene. Or the artistic beauty of "Me and my Baby". Number after number we once again get to enjoy the opulence of dance from the mind of Fosse.

The current headliners for this tour are Lisa Rinna ("Dancing with the Stars" and "Melrose Place") and Tom Wopat (Tony nominee for Annie Get Your Gun, TV's "Dukes of Hazzard").

Ms. Rinna has been with the show since its Portland stop, which was a week ago. She will stay through the Dallas portion of the tour, then head for New York to do the Broadway production along with her husband, Film/TV star Harry Hamlin.

Upon her first entrance, Ms. Rinna seemed nervous, timid even. But look at it from an actor's point of view. She has had only one week to work with complete strangers, just one. Then to pick up, go to another city and a new theater-that's a lot to handle. Thus I can empathize with the immense pressure and stress it must be to try to find your connection with a new cast, the rhythm of the acting of your co-stars, and so forth.

Once she did relax, Rinna sparkled like that rain of Mylar confetti that falls onto the stage in the second act. Her portrayal of "Roxie" had an aura of childlike innocence and nativity to the crime she just committed. She continues this thread of characterization into the Cook County jail. But once there, Rinna transformed into one sexy, cat like jail cell chick! She slithered and shimmied her way into her lawyer's trust as well as those around her. Rinna took a unique approach to the role, which I actually enjoyed immensely.

Having interviewed her personally, she has publicly stated that she has never claimed to be a dancer, nor has she ever done theater. She is from the world of TV and film, which is a more intimate art form, since you have a camera only inches from your face. Rinna's dance technique is actually quite good and very exciting to watch. Fosse is not easy by any means. Period. It is very precise and every detail must be clean.

In our interview she stated she had to audition for the role, it was not automatically offered to her. This was a major challenge for her, and she took it on full force. The outcome is a wonderful success.

It took a couple of numbers under her belt to gel into the show, but once she did, she ran with it. Her finest musical numbers were "Roxie", "We both reached for the Gun", "My Own Best Friend", and "Me and My Baby".

Rinna is a very beautiful woman with one hot body, & these two elements really give "Roxie" an aura of luxurious femme fatale that fits perfectly with her characterization. But then to see how emotionally devastated she is at the end, she truly connected artistically with her character arc. That final scene before "Nowadays", Rinna shows great hurt and pain at the outcome of her trial-completely ignoring her husband's pleas and affection. It's intimate and deeply moving.

Rinna is extremely courageous to step outside of her comfort zone to tackle live theater. There are many in this business that would just sit within their familiar territory and be content. Not Rinna, she instead challenged herself-and I personally think she came out a big winner in this production.

Tom Wopat portrays "Billy Flynn", the slick, handsome lawyer who is always looking for the media spotlight. I had the pleasure of seeing Wopat several years ago when he came through Dallas and debut his performance as "Flynn".

Upon a second viewing, Wopat has wrapped himself completely into Flynn's characterization and having a ball on stage with it. With a robust, melodic baritone voice that fills the Music Hall easily, Wopat works vocal magic with such hit musical numbers as "Razzle Dazzle" and "All I Care About".

Wopat is masculine and commands the stage with strong stage presence. He also has found new ways to add some great laughs within his characterization. Wopat is a delight to see again on stage.

Then there is Terra C. Macleod, who portrays "Velma Kelly". There are hardly any triple talents left, but Ms. Macleod is just that and more! A tall, gorgeous beauty with raven hair and hypnotic blue eyes, this woman drips in sex appeal. Then there's her dancer body! Muscled and toned arms, stems that go from the stage floor to the friggin' fly rail space, all incased in skin tight costumes. She has the ideal dancer's body that the stage lighting picks up every muscle contort or flex. This woman is so friggin' hot she'd turn a gay man straight! That's how hot she is! Her body and dance technique are built perfectly for Fosse's choreography. She does every pop, every finger snap, and every leg kick with clean, precise, elegant dance. I bet Fosse is smiling from Heaven at her.

Macleod has a booming, terrific set of pipes that does magical wonder with her solos. She adds new sustaining notes and vocal inflections to the songs that add delectable life and energy. Listen to those shimmering vocal chords create musical gold with such songs as "All That Jazz", "Cell Block Tango", "My Own Best Friend", "Class", and "Nowadays".

Macleod is wrapped in dazzling stage presence that never flickers out. And that energy! She attacks every musical number with great gusto and commitment. She turns "I Can't Do it Alone" and "When Velma Takes the Stand" into major showstoppers. Ms. Macleod is phenomenal in this production of CHICAGO.

I saw the always reliable Carol Woods bring the house down on Broadway in the revival of Follies with her powerful voice in the number "Who's that Woman?" in 2001. I have seen Ms. Woods as well twice before as "Mama Morton", and the girl still brings the house down. But now she has taken a completely new approach to her big solo, "When you're Good to Momma" that is just magnificent. She has added some vocal riffs in this amazing modulation at the end that had the audience Tuesday night roar with approval. Woods also provided some fun laughs with "Class" that again shows why she continues to deliver scene stealing performances.

Rounding out this terrific company include outstanding performances by Eric Leviton as "Amos Hart"; Ashley Yeater as "Hunyak (the "Not guilty" cellmate); and R. Bean as the gossipy reporter "Mary Sunshine" who has one hell of an operatic soprano voice!

However, there is a Dallas Texas native in the company, Kevin Steele. Mr. Steele was an elementary teacher in Plano who now has gone on to work in such national tours as The Producers and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Ann Margaret. Steele is a perfect example of the kind of superb talent we have here within the DFW theater metroplex.

The tall, handsome blonde dances beautifully and has some great comedic fun with his cameo roles as "Sergeant Fogarty" & "The Judge". Steele's talent is used to great success within this production. It always is a terrific pleasure to see our own shine brightly in national tours, and Mr. Steele is just that.

This review would not be complete without offering kudos to a certain group of individuals that stole the show-and that was the ensemble of CHICAGO.

They are the steel girders on which this musical rests on & rely upon night after night. Their energy is completely infectious. They dance with such eye blinding energy you wonder if they are being electrocuted backstage right before they emerge into the stage lights! These guys and gals dance with never ending energy, commitment, & technique. You would think it was their first ever opening night!

Normally by now, road companies like this are bored to tears, and you can literally see them going through the motions. Not this awe-inspiring ensemble! They attack each dance step, every vocal note, and every line like superstars. Oh and by the way, they were all gorgeous to look at. Muscled studs and hot mommas all dressed in sexy, black, tight costumes that show every muscle. You feel like a pig for eating that damn snickers in the lobby before the show started. Then these performers appeared on stage with those amazing toned bodies. The bastards! Lol.

The cell block tango girls have a comedic field day with the number of the same name. Each girl took a very unique, different approach to those oh so familiar lyrics and dialogue and turned that number into a fantastic, new, and hilarious showstopper! Those girls deserved to be mentioned: Nicole Bridgewater, Ivy Fox, Theresa Coombe, Ashley Yeater, and Jill Nicklaus.

The men in the ensemble also provide some superb work on stage as well. David Bushman, Stephenos Christou, and Eric McMillan-McCall do an exquisite tap dance that is an homage to la great Fosse. They wear the trademark bowler hats and smoke cigarettes, all bathed in white lighting. If you are familiar with Fosse, the man always had a cigarette dangling from his lips as he choreographed.

John Carroll and David Bushman (this guy is one HELL of a dancer!) frame Lisa Rinna like two Greek statues for the number "Me and My Baby". Both dance wonderfully and bring Fosse's dance to vivid life.

One of the best things about live theater is expect the unknown. Christophe Caballero portrays "The Jury" in the second act. This role requires the actor to become several members of the jury-both male and female. Caballero is hilarious with his character detail to each role. But then he does this down right hysterical line reading that had the audience roaring in laughter. It was so funny; it even made Tom Wopat break character and start laughing as well. Excellent work Caballero!

The other talented ensemble that puts this production in the success column includes Kevin Neil McCready, John Carroll, Kevin Steele, and Kelly Crandall.

I have now ten PLAYBILL programs as proof that I have seen CHICAGO that many times. And I still love it. From the new interpretation of the material, to that sublime Kander & Ebb score, and most importantly-the brilliance of Fosse's choreography.

For those who have never seen it, you need to see this production. But if you've seen it before, it still deserves a second or third viewing. It's still that good!

GRADE: A

CHICAGO plays through June 17th at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Single tickets, ranging from $15-69, are on sale now at The Box Office, 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center, or may be purchased at area Ticketmaster outlets, by calling 214-631-ARTS, or online. For groups of 20 or more, call 214- 426-GROUP.