Cold Chicago

“CHICAGO”
(Palace, Manchester, to Saturday)
It’s back again without the big names - unless you count a former Bill and Strictly performer, a Corrie actress and a former Hollyoaks and Dancing on Ice finalist, little of which seems entirely appropriate training; but Chicago is a law unto itself.

The audience cheers, laughs and yells wildly at the close, presumably razzle-dazzled and entertained by the tale of murder, manipulation, mocked justice and more murder.

I just don’t get why.

Kander and Ebb’s musical contains some terrific numbers - a couple of which, “All That Jazz” and “Razzle Dazzle” - are among the most, and most inappropriately, performed numbers in musical history.

Bob Fosse’s original direction and choreography were in their way ground-breaking. And I get that the show is an ironic mickey-tale on US justice and the ease with which a sharp lawyer can manipulate a jury.

But I don’t understand why it is so popular.

To me, Bob Fosse’s original choreography has become a huge cliche, all jazz hands and annoyances; his original direction turns a sexy, lowdown story into a cold exercise in ticking songs off a list.

His book, co-written with Fred Ebb, is a succession of comic-book scenes without emotion or feeling, linked by little more than one-line announcements.

I find the entire experience cold and uninvolving to the point of indifference, little alleviated by the humour in Ebb’s lyrics or the sass in Kander’s tunes, well played by the on-stage (in fact stage-filling, and that’s another objection) band.

The performers? As with every other time I have seen the show, some work, some don’t.

A mass of black-costumed, “sexily” clad dancers is fronted by Strictly’s Ali Bastian as Roxie, the murderess happy to tell any lie in search of freedom and fame. Alongside her is former Corrie girl Tupele Dorgu as similarly afflicted defendant Velma. Third in the main trio is Stefan Booth as lawyer Flynn, with Bernie Nolan, Alex Weatherhill and Jamie Baughan in the main supporting roles.

The central three are slightly unbalanced: blonde Bastian looks positively shy alongside the strong, flame-haired Dorgu, while Booth is slick but no more.

That the evening is well put together, slickly presented and competently cast is a given. Stronger stage performers might bring out more, but frankly I’m not sure this hollow experience has much more to give.