Chicago

John Kander, Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse

David Ian for Crossroads Live and Michael Watt in association with Darry and Fran Weissler

Venue Cymru, Llandudno

April 29-May 3, 2025; 2hrs 30mins

(also at Hull New Theatre, June 30-July 5; Blackpool Winter Gardens July 21-26; Sunderland Empire August 4-9, Lowry Salford, August 25-30)

Sexy: prison girls in the touring production of Chicago

In many respects Chicago is a remarkable musical, a piece of entertainment that doubles as a stinging satire of the justice system in America in the 1920s. It is based on a play of the same name by journalist Maureen Watkins, who used her experience of actual cases at the time to pen what was described as “the finest piece of stage satire ever written by an American.”

But not everyone "gets" Chicago the show - not surprising, given the storyline: a celebrity lawyer uses the power of the media to spring from prison two women clearly guilty of murder. Such a theme is not for the faint-hearted especially when the second act portrays the execution of an innocent Hungarian woman. 

Storyline apart, the musical is nonetheless alive with a wonderful Jazz score, dry humour, dazzling dance routines and memorable songs, which hold an audience's attention from curtain-up to finale.

The show demands strong performances from the two main characters and Strictly Come Dancing pro Janette Manrara as Roxie and musicals star Djalenga Scott as Velma succeed admirably. They are ably supported by West End veteran Dan Burton as Billy Flynn and Joshua Lloyd as Amos, Roxie’s neglected and lovelorn husband. There is an energy and vitality to the ensemble that completes the high-octane nature of the show with pace and slick choreography.  

The story's backdrop is America's fruitless Prohibition era. The desire for forbidden alcohol drove the supply of illicit drink into the hands of mobsters like Al Capone, who used bribery and extortion to undermine the justice system. The increased demand for alcohol saw produced a rise in domestic violence, which might explain why there were so many women in prison charged with murder. This unusual phenomenon grabbed the attention of the media and, at a time when a jury was usually all male, conviction of a pretty, perhaps abused woman was difficult to achieve. The reluctance to condemn was something Roxie and her lawyer Billy Flynn exploit to the full - even though its blatant sexism would outrage many women today. No doubt Flynn would argue that in a choice between outrage and execution, outrage is the lesser of two evils... 

One poignant moment comes after Roxie is acquitted. Velma and Mama Morton - the older, wiser prison matron - sing Class, which includes the line "whatever happened to fair dealing and pure ethics?"

This lack of fairness and justice is a huge motivator of the plot and a sentiment many societies will identify with today.  

Kander and Ebb did a remarkable job of retaining the cynicism and satire of Chicago in the 1920s while capturing the magic of the jazz era. Chicago isn't a pretty show, but it's a wonderfully powerful one. 

More info and tickets here