{"id":7305,"date":"2016-03-01T11:24:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T16:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/?p=7305"},"modified":"2016-03-01T11:24:37","modified_gmt":"2016-03-01T16:24:37","slug":"chicago-a-simple-delight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/2016\/03\/01\/chicago-a-simple-delight\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago: A Racy Delight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago, t<\/em>he longest-running American musical, <\/em>is a swanked up, jazzy tale sure to leave you kicking your heels and clapping along.  Contrary to the pretentious, over-the-top style with which Broadway is more commonly associated, Barry and Fran Weisler\u2019s Chicago<\/em> is a performance of simplicity; its monochromatic essence in costume and stage design set it apart from popular contenders.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Orchestra, <\/em>under the direction of John Johnson, was an incredible asset to this distinguishing factor, accompanying the actors with tasteful musical renditions of the popular hits. Audience members from around the globe could not seem to get enough of the opening number, \u201cAll that Jazz\u201d. In fact, the couple next to me had seen the show six times prior and returned for a seventh to perfect the shimmy! However, apart from the unique stage set-up, select musical numbers, and key actors\/dancers, Chicago <\/em>may have been a bit too <\/em>simple for the Broadway price, and not enough to uphold its title as a \u201cChampion of Broadway\u201d.<\/p>\n

The musical, set in the county jail during the vaudeville era of the 1920s, clearly tells the story of Roxie Hart (Paige Davis) and Velma Kelly (Amra-Faye Wright), two performers whose shared desire for a claim to fame is inhibited by the murders they have committed against their former flames.  Their stories are, unfortunately for them, not out of the ordinary in the Chicago town; in fact, their fellow inmates are too serving time for the \u201cunintentional\u201d murders they may<\/em> or may not have committed.  In order to distinguish themselves from the rest, Velma and Roxie must rival against one another and concoct extreme tales to grasp the media\u2019s attention; this they do through song, dance, and the rare, but present, pun.  The comedic platform principals the far-fetched lies that are relayed, especially the pregnancy faked by a very desperate Roxie.  It is through the help of the charming and witty Mama (Natasha Williams) and the sly, money-hungry lawyer Billy Flynn (Eddie George) that the ladies are able to be acquitted and join forces to begin a joint vaudeville show.<\/p>\n

Stylistically, the musicians\u2019 upbeat tempo was the definition of perfection.  With a diverse set of instruments that ranged from the piano and violin to the accordion and tambourine, the band appealed to the audience in the varying, jazz-centered tastes.  A personal favorite was the \u201cCell Block Tango\u201d, which paired humor with a pulsed infusion of quick-steps and jazz walks.  In it, pianist Scott Caddy, showcased eloquent skill that generated much applause from the crowd, ultimately leading to a dramatic pause right before Roxie\u2019s long-winded monologue.  Another hit was \u201cWhen You\u2019re Good to Mama.\u201d It was an audience-pleaser due to Williams\u2019 overwhelming talent in tone and pitch beautifully wove into the melody set forth by the band. Undoubtedly, she was cast to deliver the impressive standing ovation of the night.<\/p>\n

Comparative to the high-stakes performance of the orchestra, the acting, unfortunately did not measure up.  A key protagonist, Roxie (portrayed by Paige Davis), was not as much of a convincing actress as anticipated.  Her low, sweet voice and stiff demeanor did not make for the pretentious character with a name as \u201crockin\u2019\u201d as \u201cRoxie.\u201d  In fact, the costume she wore well emulated the acting style she portrayed- an overly-simplistic black romper with a hip-length suit top.  Just as an addition of lace and \u201cpizzazz\u201d may have aided her performance, had she become a bit more vocal in her acting and a lot more dominative in her dancing, she would have very well surpassed the monotonous persona she put forth.  Due to her rigid actions, the story became a bit hard to follow, in the especially key moments.  It did not seem that Davis\u2019 character yearned to be the vaudeville sensation that did her alter ego.<\/p>\n

The dancers\u2019 performance was indeed extraordinarily commendable and added much volume to the plot of the performance.  The single use of props (large peacock feathers) made it more than easy to focus all of one\u2019s attention on the dancers.  The choreography by Ann Reinking was more than appropriate for the jazz-themed ensembles.  In fact, had it been a silent performance, it would have still generated as much prestige.  The dancers were the ones who essentially told the story through the bodily gestures pronounce before the public.  The turns, swing steps, of both the dancers when coupled or in individual stances, was absolutely compelling.  Their moves perfectly addressed the time period in which the performance is set and added moreto the dynamics of the characters.<\/p>\n

Apart from the simple costumes and stage setup, Chicago<\/em> was strictly a performance of music.  I would not suggest that first-time theatre goers attend this show immediately, but rather, settle in with a valued performance of Broadway before delving into a more reserved type of play.  However, if one is able to overlook these factor and make music one\u2019s pure priority, then the Chicago <\/em>band can indefinitely satisfy that desire.  I recommend the show for its finesse and classic quality; but if you\u2019re paying the sticker price, I would wait for a new Roxie to fill in the shoes and make it worth your while.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chicago, the longest-running American musical, is a swanked up, jazzy tale sure to leave you kicking your heels and clapping along.  Contrary to the pretentious, over-the-top style with which Broadway is more commonly associated, Barry and Fran Weisler\u2019s Chicago is a performance of simplicity; its monochromatic essence in costume and stage design set it apart…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":703,"featured_media":7428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/703"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}