By Andrea Frazer
According to its press
release, “Now in its sixteenth year on Broadway, the record-breaking smash hit
musical CHICAGO is now the fourth longest running production in
Broadway history. With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by
John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997
Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best
Musical Cast Recording.” For everyone who attended the 2012 version of the show
at the Pantages, however, even “All That Jazz” couldn’t make this production
consistently sparkle.
It’s not that the cast didn’t try.
It’s just that the lead actress played by super model Christie Brinkley,
couldn’t sing. For the price of theatre tickets these days, the audience felt
as conned by her performance as the public was by Chicago’s most famed cell
mates all those years ago.
Brinkley’s breathy Marilyn Monroe-esque
vocals lacked pop. Her moves felt like a caricature of a non-dancer attempting
to channel the sass and sizzle of Vaudeville. At 58, there’s little doubt that
Brinkley is one of the most beautiful birdies on Broadway, but theatre is one
of the few places left where talent is still needed to make a performance work.
Her fellow cast members possessed such talent, but it only served to make
Brinkley’s performance that much more disappointing.
Amra-Faye Wright, having played the
role of Velma Kelly for over ten years, brings enthusiasm and much needed vocal
chops to her performance. While some of her numbers go on a bit too long, such
as “I Can’t Do It Alone” towards the end of Act One, her dancing and acting are
incredibly polished and entertaining.
John O’Hurley plays the snaky lawyer every
murderess needs in his role as Billy Flynn. With a golden voice and perfect
timing, O’Hurley’s smooth deliveries are the perfect mirror for his cast mate’s
raw vamping.
Carol Woods knocked it out of the park
with,“When You’re Good To Mama.” The end of this song came with notes
reminiscent of great Gospel belting. This was a good thing, as Brinkley could
use all the prayers she could get throughout the show.
To
be fair, Brinkley had charm and charisma. A highlight of the evening came
during the middle of Act One with the
raucous, “We Both Reached for the Gun.” While sitting on her lawyer’s knee, she
opened and closed her mouth like a doe eyed puppet while John O’Hurley belted
out a new defense for her murder. Her facial expressions were top notch. Her
body language blended in beautifully with the dancing cast behind her. It was
the one time in the show it felt like she on the same par as her cast mates. It
was also the one time didn’t sing or speak.
Ticket
sales supposedly went up 200% when Brinkley signed on. It’s unlikely anybody
expected a Tony Award winning performance out of the three-time Sports
Illustrated bathing beauty. But most people expected to see a solidly put
together show, and that’s what they got. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter
Bobbie and choreographed by Tony Award winner Ann Reinking, CHICAGO
features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Tony Award winner
William Ivey Long, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington and sound
design by Scott Lehrer.
Tony
Awards aside, several attendees commented negatively at the fact that the
orchestra itself was part of the set. Some felt the lighting too dark. They
didn’t like that the actors didn’t change costumes or that the only real props
were the cabaret chairs used for big dance numbers. Given that Bob Fosse
intentionally used a “less is more” style to showcase performances, this
criticism is unwarranted.
The
show runs through Sunday, May 27 at the Pantages. More information can be found
at www.BroadwayLA.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment