Performance Review- Isabelle Rinker

When I visited New York City over fall break, I finally had the opportunity to see a production of Chicago. The show took place on October 1st, 2015 at 8:00pm at the Ambassador Theatre. The cast featured Dylis Croman as Roxie Hart and Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly. The original Chicago musical was written by Maurine Dallas Watkins. The story takes place in 1920s Chicago, when Roxie Hart is arrested for  murdering her lover. In prison, Velma Kelly is a huge "star", with the best lawyer in town (Billy Flynn). She is disappointed that Roxie steals her spotlight, and her lawyer. Roxie becomes a huge celebrity in Chicago, hoping that her fame as a criminal can help her pursue the career of a performer.

Although our seats were in the balcony and quite far away from the stage, I could tell that the costumes (including hair and makeup) were fit to the time period. The characters were dressed to the time period (ladies wearing short "flapper-style" wigs and corsets, men wearing tuxedos and hats). The lighting fit the "night club" appeal of the setting, and the light would be used to enhance the performance, as the spotlight would typically move to wherever the lead singer was.

In general, the show was entertaining. The dancers' synchronization was impressive, and the lead singers (main characters) were captivating performers. My favorite songs from the production were "Roxie", "Cell Block Tango", and "When You're Good to Mama". Overall, I would rank this performance a 9.8/10, because the quality of the show was great, although at times, I was a bit bored.