DETROIT – Since 1996, the revival of CHICAGO has been a mainstay at the Great White Way and holds the record for the longest-running American musical on Broadway, only behind The Phantom of the Opera which is the longest-running show but originated in the West End. This doesn’t even include the original run of CHICAGO in 1975.
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25-plus years later, CHICAGO is still the musical on everybody’s lips.
Katie Frieden stars as Roxie Hart, the murderess who gets thrown in the limelight to scam her way into the hearts of the public. Frieden’s bright-eyed wonder and sharp athleticism makes her the perfect star-to-be, while Logan Floyd as the deliciously arrogant Velma Kelly whose fear of losing her shine brings the sultry sexiness only a vaudeville murderess can have.
But this is a show filled with big and fun characters. Jeff Brooks’ fast-talking Billy Flynn is a lovable sleezeball, Christina Wells’ beautifully melodic Matron “Mama” Morton and G.A. James as Mary Sunshine steal the scenes with both their vivacious vocals and comedic prowess.
Read: Wayne State grad dances his way across the country in ‘CHICAGO’
Bob Fosse’s choreography by the legendary Anne Reinking is the real star of the show and is highlighted by John Lee Beatty’s minimal, but iconic, black box set. The talented ensemble dazzles their jazz hands all across the stage performing stunts, tricks and carefully choreographed pieces all while playing a myriad of characters, and singing no less. It’s still a treat to watch Fosse’s choreography live and done well.
“All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango,” arguably two of the show’s biggest hits to reach mainstream culture, had the audience eagerly awaiting as their instrumental introductions began, with each piece delivering the high-energy spectacles they deserved, and the appropriate applause was returned to the hard-working cast.
CHICAGO still razzle dazzles because it has everything you could possibly want in a musical: exciting music, transcendent dance moves and a timeless story that pokes fun at even modern-day celebrity culture. CHICAGO is pure showmanship at its finest with a cast that is giving it their all to tell the story.
CHICAGO is now running at the Fisher Theatre through Sunday, April 2nd with a run time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. Tickets start at $30. For showtimes and tickets, visit BroadwayinDetroit.com.