Chicago - London Stage Production

How interesting that my next post should be about the very show that I kept referring to in my previous post! This, of course, was not the movie, but the current West End production of the show.
It must be hard for any production to compete with a show-goers pre-conceived impression of the version of the show that they have seen on-screen and I think that this production managed that exceptionally well by keeping the staging so simple and by focussing on wonderful choreography, acting and singing.
This show is highly stylized, with all the actors in sexy slinky black outfits and all the choreography remarkably subtle and remarkably slow. It immediately creates the atmosphere of being in a smoke filled 1930's cabaret bar where sleaze is the name of the game. Of course, this show is satirical in every way except for the husband of Roxy: Amos, who is sincere and sweet and loving. He is the only character not in black.
The show is presented with band on stage and taking up most of the space. The actors sing and dance in front of them and the conductor regularily participates in the action taking place. The only props are chairs and two ladders on either side of the stage, so all the audiences attention is focussed on the performance of the actors. This is very different to the usual glamour and decor found in a West End production and left me a little bit surprised and first, but eventually completely won me over.
I was most impressed with the actress playing Roxy. She presented a vivacious, daring and thoroughly corrupt character and (dare I say it) gave a much better interpretation of her than Renee Zelwegger. By the end of the show I became really fond of Roxy, whereas in the movie I felt her to be a little bit whiny and a little bit irritating. Catherine Zeta-Jones' performance of Velma in the movie is a completely different story. Some people are just born to be certain characters and Zeta-Jones' Velma is probably one of the best interpretations around, which gives any other actress who is given this character a bit of a challenge. The Velma in this show certainly had presence and certainly had the dancing and singing skills necessary for the role, but it just lacked the pizazz that Zeta-Jones brought to the role.
The only element to the show which disturbed me was the character Mary Sunshine which was performed in drag. At one point in the show, "her" clothes are ripped off to reveal that she is actually a man (to emphasize the theme of things not being what they seem), which to me was a little bit tacky. I do, however, feel that that is probably a personal point of view as many people can find that type of thing humorous and I do know that male/female identity is a theme often brought up in Cabaret and Vaudeville.
All in all a classy, sexy performance that I really enjoyed.