Chicago the Musical is a tale of ambition, crime and fame set in the town of Chicago back in the 1920s. The story follows Roxie Hart, a criminal who tries to manipulate the media frenzy with help of her lawyer Billy Flynn to avoid conviction. Whilst in jail, she encounters Velma Kelly, a fellow criminal who also hired Flynn to secure her own acquittal and gain fame. Through a series of media interviews and fights for fame, they both vie for the spotlight to become the talk of Chicago.
Prior to seeing the show, we knew very little about Chicago, other than the iconic track “All That Jazz”. We had no idea what to expect, however we were both pleasantly surprised. The current 2025 tour is based on the 1996 Broadway revival, which is has been running for more than 28 years, securing the title of the second longest running Broadway show.
The choreography of Chicago is our personal highlight of the show. The dancing is mesmerizing, featuring a blend of precision and storytelling through intricate and smooth moves. The dancing is simply delightful to watch and the dancers were just phenomenal! Our favourite dance scene was the feather dance to “All I Care About”, which is our first introduction to Billy Flynn. The precise execution, timing and eloquent movement kept our eyes glued to the stage throughout the performance.
Chicago featured a large cast of twenty actors brimming with talent. We loved both Djalenga and Faye’s portrayal of Velma and Roxie respectively. Both leading ladies flawlessly executed this shows intricate choreography and portrayed their characters with authenticity and depth. The whole cast were vocally very strong, a standout performance from Brenda, playing Mama, with her rendition of “When You’re Good to Mama”. Kevin, who played Billy, brought the slick lawyer to life, full of charm and charisma.
Chicago possesses a really strong musical track. We found ourselves particularly enjoying “When You’re Good to Mama”, “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “Mister Cellophane”. Each track was both distinct and fitting with each scene in the show, portraying a range of emotions and style. The score was exquisitely performed by the eleven strong orchestra, who were featured on the stage throughout the performance.
The staging consisted of one large tiered set piece, which housed the orchestra, covering approximately three quarters of the stage. The staging was minimal, but effective. Generally, we prefer shows to have a more extravagant set, however we liked the minimal feel of Chicago. A lot of the scenes relied on imagination for setting the scene, but it worked. Very few shows can pull off “less is more”, but Chicago is one of them. The lighting also added to the ambience of the show, creating a perfect setting for each scene. A brilliant example of how to use lightning to generate different moods and scenes.
We really enjoyed seeing Chicago, and would recommend seeing it. The story itself wasn’t one of our favourites, however we’d still encourage you to see the spectacle of Chicago. A great all rounder show.
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