Chicago Tour 2016

I am just back from press night. And boy what a let down.

We need a new production, this is looking as tired as the casting.

Partridge - no vocals. He just can't sing the role - and that is all he really needed to be able to do.

Tamaddon - grins too much, lacks dance skill, no belt

Carmen-Jones - I really didn't take to her voice. She is a great dancer and looks amazing on stage - but when she needed power in the vocals, it just wasn't there. Maybe she was under the weather - but I just didn't think she had the vocal chops to sell the big notes.

Bailey - passable

Best thing is the lovely Mary Sunshine who has a voice to die for.

Chorus - pretty certain that they were being boosted by pre-recorded vocals... and the dancing needs more precision. A lot more.

It was all so very limp. The MD, in particular, needs to learn how jazz works. There was no sense of musical style - other than from the players themselves.

Someone needs to develop a new production that can tour. Chicago is a great score - this production is just so dated now.

Small mercies!

I think it's just the cast who wear the tight trousers, not the band.

Booked tickets to see this with my friend, though it looks as though there is going to be a cast change before we see it as above the list of dates it says "starring John Partridge as Billy Flynn, further casting to be announced."

Very excited as have never seen Chicago on stage or the film - not sure why as the few songs I know from the show I love!

Reviews seem to be improving, for Manchester anyway. Anyone been over the last few weeks? I'm going Monday.

Ooh! Quite looking forward to it now!

Wow.

I take it all back. 

What a fab evening! Excellent leads, Sam Bailey included, and no problems with her accent as some reviews have said. Hayley Tamaddon really very, very good. John Partridge can sing, and at one point seems hell bent on proving it as if in response to the comments in reviews, but I didn't found his voice particularly attractive if that makes sense. However he milks the slime-ball characterisation to the max and it works. 

Absolutely gorgeous cast. Especially Fred Casely who I've just been stalking researching to find was played by Francis Foreman. WOOF 

The whole thing looked fresh, I dont understand the reviewers who said the design and costumes are past their sell by date. It was as stylish and sexy as ever.

I think I've seen four incarnations of this show, including the west end. I think tonight's might have been the best 

I could easily sit through it again tomorrow. 

Hey guys!

So it's like 2am and I just got back from Dublin after a double whammy of Chicago (my first two times ever seeing the show live!)

So I wanna say right off the bat that I am totally smitten by ensemble member Adam Denman, he's got it all. But anyway, onto the more serious part of the review.

From the remarks about the production I heard on here I was very worried about whether the show (which has been my most anticipated show to see since I started liking MT) And Chicago did not disappoint. Everything about this production screamed with excitement and energy, everything from the big, well known scenes such as "All the Jazz" and "Hot Honey Rag" to the smaller and more intimate scenes like "Class", it just had a vibrant fresh feeling to it. My favorite moments from the show would definitely be "All the Jazz" "When you're good to Mama" and "Cell Block Tango" with many other amazing standouts such as "Roxie" and "Mr Cellophane" (a song I didn't like in the film version!)

21st May - Matinee: Full lead cast show, and the cast had an amazing energy!

Hayley Tamaddon as Roxie: I wasn't exactly sure how the stage version of Roxie was meant to be played so I let Hayley take me for the ride with the role as I didn't expect her to be the same as Renee Zellwegger or other incarnations of Roxie I had seen in bootlegs. Her portrayal was very ditsy and she really played up the child-like, naive side to Roxie. At times this benefited her character in scenes like "We both reached for the gun" and "Me and my baby" while at other points it was a bit too much. This is not to say however that Hayley couldn't play the serious side to Roxie, she has so many brilliant moments throughout the show and is more than capable of dancing, singing and bring the sex appeal to the show!

Sophie Carmen-Jones as Velma: WOW! WOW! WOW! Sophie slayed the show, seriously, she slayed it! From the moment she entered the stage she just had this amazing presence where you knew every eye was going to be focused on her. "All the Jazz" was such a treat to watch as she is so fluid in the role, in all aspects including dancing, singing, acting and of course, the sex appeal, which she brilliantly flaunts again in "Cell Block Tango". I could go on forever about Sophie as she really stole the show! (P.S, she threw me a rose at curtain call!)

Sam Bailey as Matron Mama Morton: I loved her! She really played up the sarcastic, greedy side of Mama Morton which I adored, with all her eyebrow raises, eye rolls etc... But in scenes like the hanging of Hunyak, she displayed such believable emotion for losing one of her girls, it was quite beautiful I must say! Also, this lady has a set of pipes, she slayed the ending of "When you're good to mama" with her belting of those final high notes, for which she received thunderous applause!

John Partridge as Billy Flynn: I was nervous about seeing John as people have spoken about him negatively in terms of performance and personality outside the show, but in both aspects I was quite pleased with John. His acting was believable and his take on Billy was very to the point, you knew he was a greedy asshole and that wasn't going to change! I was so pleased that he held that extra long high note in "We both reached for the gun" for at least 20 seconds! I met John after the show at stage door and he was honestly so lovely, without me having to ask he came over and asked me did I want my programme signed and asked me did I enjoy the show and that he was happy to hear I was having a blast and then as I spoke about how it was my first two times and I'd be back again for the evening show, he told me "well you're very lucky, as you get the chance to see a new Roxie tonight".

21st May - Evening: Full lead cast show, except for Hayley Tammadon!

Lindsey Tierney as Roxie: Yep, for the closing night in Dublin, and with it being only my second time I got to see an understudy for Roxie, and she was PHENOMENAL! Hayley was ill and couldn't do the evening show (which shocked me, as for the matinee Hayley sounded and looked phenomenal, no signs of illness or fatigue whatsoever!) At the time I didn't know this, but this was Lindsey's debut as Roxie, which puts me in even more awe! Guys, she just nailed it! Vocally, she was quite a bit stronger than Hayley (some of this can be chalked up to Hayley being ill) but Lindsey has a gorgeous voice on her. I preferred her portrayal of Roxie in comparison to Hayley. Lindsey really left her mark on the stage, shining in every scene she was in and not getting outdone by Sophie. Lindsey played a more serious, sassy and confident incarnation of Roxie, and it really did work for her. Also, Lindsey has no trouble with the dancing or singing in the role, and she managed to be just as sexy on stage as Sophie, which is really difficult to do! She had a few lines flubs here and there, but nothing that distracted from how amazing she was. I still can't believe it was her debut, just wow!

As for other cast members, I would like to give shout outs to Neil Ditt who played Amos, he was just so awkward and adorable and you really felt for him, he was just so clueless, but in a likable way. He nailed "Mr Cellophane". Francis Foreman as Fred Casely, he really just got this part down, he was hilarious and he was sexy! All the female ensemble really stood out, but I really have to mention Frances Dee as Hunyak, she really just gave a solid performance even though the majority of the time she was only saying "not guilty." To be honest it's so difficult to name specific ensemble members because every single one genuinely made an impact on my experience, they all just rocked it, amazing dancers, singers and all had great chemistry on stage!

So, that is my reviews of Chicago in Dublin. If anyone has anymore questions regarding anything I may have left out (which is entirely possible, I have been awake over 22 hours) feel free to ask and I'll try to answer as best as I can. Definitely go see this production if you can, you won't regret it!

It's called optimism Mr B