The kiss-and-tell tale of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. (Chicago The Musical)

Member Name: Raisin

Product:	Chicago The Musical
Date:	21/02/09 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing musical, lively, great dancers and singers.

Disadvantages: None!

I've always loved the film with Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger so was thrilled when I got tickets to see Chicago the musical for my birthday last year.

The musical varies a lot from the film, to start with there are added plots, and songs. Then there are the characters - after watching Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones for so long on DVD it was hard to picture the characters as other people. As a massive (slightly obsessive) fan I knew all the words to the songs and so every so often one would come along that I hadn't heard before, which was great because it took away the predictive style of the film(and gave me new songs to learn)!

Just as in the film, the musical is based around Roxie Hart, a spotlight-seeking star who, having shot her lover dead - after finding out that he wasn't going to help her achieve fame - winds up in prison. Whilst there she meets Velma Kelly a nightclub sensation, who has employed the infamous Billy Flinn to represent her in court. Jail in Chicago (Illinois, a state that held the death penalty) was a dangerous place to be because of the threat of execution if found guilty. Hart's loyal husband scrapes together the money for Flinn the lawyer then they nervously await the trail..singing and dancing all the way!

The musical was absolutely thrilling, the fantastic cast and note perfect orchestra made the show a hit. The cast were clearly multi-talented..all singing, dancing AND acting which was pretty impressive to watch!

The orchestra were great, the musical was loud, lively and sounded just like it had jumped out of a 1920's underground club!

"The character of Roxie Hart is based on 23-year-old Mrs. Beulah Annan, accused of the April 3, 1924 murder of Harry Kalstedt. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, Mrs. Annan played a foxtrot record named "Hula Lou" for more than two hours in her apartment and then phoned her husband and reported that she had killed a man who "tried to make love" to her. Harry's body was discovered hunched against the wall in Belulah's bedroom. She was found "not guilty" by a jury on May 25th, 1924."*

"The character of Velma Kelly is based on Mrs. Belva Gaertner, a cabaret singer. On March 12th, 1924, the body of Mr. Walter Law was found slumped over the steering wheel of a car owned by Mrs. Gaertner. Two policemen observed a woman entering the car and shortly thereafter heard gunshots. The police found an automatic pistol and a bottle of gin on the floor of the car. She was acquitted on June 6th, 1924."*

*Taken from Chicago the musical brochure.

If given the opportunity it is an amazing experience, and if you've never seen the film before then I promise you'll love it!

Summary: A definite must see!