‘Chicago’ brings ‘Razzle Dazzle’ to Logan

Broadway returned to Cache Valley with electrifying performances of “Chicago,” the longest airing musical in Broadway history. 

This latest national tour is the culmination of almost 100 years of theater history. In 1926, the original play premiered, written by a Chicago Tribune reporter and based on two real murder trials of the decade. In 1975, the musical adaptation first hit Broadway, playing for a little over two years. Nineteen years later, in 1996, it was revived on Broadway and has been running ever since.

The show takes place in 1920s Chicago and centers on Roxie Hart, played by Ellie Roddy, who, after murdering her boyfriend, tries to avoid death row with the help of a sleazy lawyer, Billy Flynn, played by Connor Sullivan. “Chicago” takes a satirical look at the American criminal justice system and media as Roxie competes with fellow murderer Velma Kelly, played by Taylor Lane, to stay front-page news.

Roddy’s delightful physical acting and comedic timing was on full display in numbers like “We Both Reached For the Gun,” in which she played a marionette doll manipulated by her lawyer. Her extended monologues in “Roxie” repeatedly toyed with audience expectations and had the audience roaring with laughter.

Lane, too, was excellent in her role as Velma. Her smooth, sultry voice was captivating, and as she danced, you understood why ‘20s Chicagoans couldn’t get enough.

A wonderfully talented live band took center stage in the performance, at times interacting with the cast, at times pointedly not interacting. Amos, Roxie’s husband, requested exit music after singing “Mr. Cellophane,” a number about how “you can look right through” him, as though he wasn’t there. The band did not react to his request, and Amos awkwardly shuffled off stage.

The fourth wall was done away with during musical numbers, where characters were introduced to the audience as if their onlookers were patrons of a speakeasy rather than a theater.

The set, lighting and costumes were understated, yet during big songs such as “All that Jazz” and “Razzle Dazzle,” I was struck by the spectacle. The ensemble was outstanding, and the original choreography by Bob Fosse remains immensely popular for a reason.

The show ended with a final fourth-wall break, as Roxie and Velma took their bows holding impossibly large bouquets and enthused about the importance of “good, old-fashioned American values.”

Without the audience, they said, they’d be nothing. Only in America was all of this possible.

The themes of Chicago are every bit as relevant now as they were in 1926 when the original play premiered. I can’t help but think about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The sensationalized, non-stop coverage of every newly-revealed detail of Mangione’s life reminds of the central thesis of the musical as stated by Matron “Mama” Morton: “In this town, murder is a form of entertainment.”

The timeless satire, outstanding choreography and addicting score of “Chicago” mean Roxie and Velma will stay America’s murderous sweethearts for many years yet.