The conventional staging of original productions of Chicago leans into a minimalistic image, eschewing the show’s 1920s setting for an intimate and sultry atmosphere—characterized by black-clad figures and sparse sets with basic chairs. However, the drama club’s rendition of Chicago balances subtlety with a more overt Jazz Age aesthetic evident in costumes, sets, and other artistic decisions. The result is an artistically confused but excellent production that excels in its execution of performance and dance.
In terms of performance, the “core four” of the material are particularly strong. Eden Choi-Fitzpatrick’s Roxie Hart delivers a nuanced evolution, while Jay Dee Diresto’s Velma Kelly has a commanding and compelling presence. Max Chen’s portrayal of lawyer Billy Flynn distinguishes itself, and Brian Hentges delivers a scene-stealing Amos Hart. Vocal performances, though generally strong, show some imperfections entirely due to the complexity of Anne Reinking’s 1996 revival choreography, which most of the choreography in the show is directly taken from. Much of the staging and direction are taken from this revival, and I believe the ending scene is taken from the 2002 film (which I find undercuts Roxie’s arch, but that’s beside the point). This production is at its best in the enthralling and electrifying “We Both Reached For the Gun” number, which is potentially one of the best numbers I’ve seen done from LJHS.
Chicago‘s structure, composed of vaudevillian numbers and a loosely woven story, is often less enjoyable in the non-musical scenes. This production intensifies such issues by inserting 1920s Jazz radio between scene changes, which often disrupts the show’s flow, an issue not in the actors’ performances but rather in production choices. While certain elements seamlessly come together—such as the execution scene, lighting, costuming, and stellar performances—others falter—having one of the women of the iconic “Cell Block Tango” also speaking another language undercuts the effect of the Hungarian’s monologue and the Lynchian “Razzle Dazzle” staging which was weirdly eerie and off-putting, in like an American Horror Story: Freakshow kind of vision.
Choosing Chicago for our school’s production is unexpectedly bold, considering its inherent sultriness and how infrequently it’s done at high schools. Nonetheless, I commend the choice, as Chicago is one of my all-time favorite musicals, and I believe that much of the material in the show resonates significantly in today’s context. I should note that I am also admittedly unfamiliar with the “Teen Edition” of this show, so I’m potentially criticizing things that are in the script. Nevertheless, the drama club, in its staging of Chicago, manages to capture a certain quality that I find exhilarating about the source material—the excess and the spectacle.
