Cast Dazzles in Sharp 'Chicago' Tour

Chicago

Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse; music by John Kander; lyrics by Fred Ebb; original production directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse; director of original New York production, Walter Bobbie; recreation of original production direction by Scott Faris; choreographer of original New York production, Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse; recreation of original production choreography by Gary Chryst; supervising music director, Rob Fisher; music director, Don York; scenic design, John Lee Beatty; costume design, William Ivey Long; lighting design, Ken Billington; sound design, Scott Lehrer; orchestrations, Ralph Burns; dance music arrangements, Peter Howard; script adaptation, David Thompson; musical coordinator, John Monaco

Cast in order of appearance:
Velma Kelly, Terra C. MacLeod; Roxie Hart, Bianca Marroquin; Fred Casely, Brent Heuser; Sergeant Fogarty, Corey Wright; Amos Hart, Kevin Chamberlain; Liz, Lindsay Roginski; Annie, Melanie Waldron; June, Andrea Mislan; Hunyak, Evelyn Christina Tonn; Mona, Marla McReynolds; Matron "Mama" Morton, Roz Ryan; Billy Flynn, Tom Wopat; Mary Sunshine, D. Micciche; Go-to-Hell-Kitty, Shamicka Benn; Harry, Adam Pellegrine; The Doctor, Shawn Beck-Gifford; Aaron, Kevin Steele; The Judge, Corey Wright; The Bailiff, Daniel Gutierrez; Martin Harrison, Adam Pellegrine; Court Clerk, Shawn Beck-Gifford; The Jury, Drew Nellessen

Performances: Now through December 14, presented by Broadway Across America at The Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston
Box Office: Ticketmaster at 617-931-2787, www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com, or the Colonial Theatre

The national touring production of the long-running Tony Award-winning Broadway revival Chicago, at Boston's Colonial Theatre for just one week through December 14, proves that a streamlined concept with minimal sets and a simple but elegant style can still razzle dazzle 'em as long as there's a knockout cast delivering star turns. And star turns are what this show has in spades.

A delightful and supremely talented Bianca Marroquin as housewife-turned-celebrity murderess Roxie Hart leads this sleek, sexy, sultry Kander and Ebb vaudeville with an energy and sparkle reminiscent of the role's originator, Gwen Verdon. Sweet and innocent on the surface but a smart, scheming vixen underneath, Marroquin's Roxie is fresh, funny, and absolutely adorable.

Whenever the luminous Marroquin is on stage, this already shining Chicago takes on an added glow. Her unexpected comic touches, playful energy, and remarkably fluid pantomime make her a bouncy and limber ventriloquist's "dummy" in "We Both Reached for the Gun," a deftly timed and cleverly staged defense strategy that has the oily string-pulling lawyer Billy Flynn (Tom Wopat) literally putting melodramatic words of contrived testimony into her pleadingly pursed, sweet-lipped mouth. Marroquin also shifts ably between tough manipulator and tender victim when required, perfectly capturing the arched cynicism and 1920s gangster edginess that give this enduring musical its wisdom teeth. When discarding her adoring husband Amos in favor of the glitz and glamour of the media spotlight, Marroquin's hapless heroine turns downright callous, but once she realizes just how fickle the paparazzi and the public can be, she becomes equally sympathetic and affecting. The nimble actress' tour de force, however, is her breakout soliloquy "Roxie," a hypnotically pulsating and gradually building musical fantasy in which she reveals a slightly goofy, vulnerable, wide-eyed but also determined wannabe who ultimately blossoms into a full-blown star. This glistening theatrical moment is as apt for Marroquin as it is for her Roxie Hart.

As hard-hearted double homicide defendant Velma Kelly, the celebrity du jour whose headlines Roxie steals, Terra C. MacLeod struts her taut, lanky frame across the stage as lithely as you might expect this revival's Tony Award-winning choreographer Ann Reinking to do if she were to play the part. Cool, biting, and distinctly rough around the edges, MacLeod's Velma is bold, bawdy and deliciously sensual. She practically drips sex appeal during "All That Jazz" and her pas de deux with a bistro chair in the hot, hot number "When Velma Takes the Stand," but she also brings terrific deadpan comic chops to the wonderfully ironic "Class" shared with an equally spot on Roz Ryan as Mama Morton.

Ryan, whose opportunistic women's prison matron oozes a lusty, wheeler-dealer confidence and a winking, self-possessed charm, does some divine scene stealing of her own whenever she gets the chance. Her show-stopping solo "When You're Good to Mama" is an intoxicating blend of slick audience seduction and bluesy Broadway belt. She is part mentor part conspirator and all ruler of the roost.

The only weak link in this mostly stellar production is top-billed Tom Wopat as sleazy mouthpiece Billy Flynn. Stiff, sullen, subdued, and often tenuous, he seems visibly uncomfortable, a rusty cog causing momentary skips in this otherwise well-oiled machinery. Given that Wopat has played the charismatic shyster to much acclaim on Broadway, one wonders if he is currently under the weather. His voice sounded raspy in places, and his energy was noticeably low. Perhaps some nasty illness is temporarily robbing him of his character's usual swaggering bravado.

Lending magnificent support to one of the strongest tours to come through Boston in a while are a completely lovable Kevin Chamberlain as Amos, Roxie's Teddy Bear mensch of a husband who's gentle acceptance of his metaphorical invisibility is both sad and heartwarming at the same time; D. Micciche as Mary Sunshine, the coloratura soprano whose beautiful voice speaks volumes for the collective fawning press; and a precisely honed (and enviably buffed) singing and dancing ensemble that adds nuanced, seedy subtext to the sometimes artificially sweet proceedings. Through evocative new arrangements and sublimely suggestive choreography, the superb chorus subtly exposes the decadent truths beneath the shiny surface of each character's contrived razzle dazzle. Their interactive presence adds an intriguing layer of tasty interpretation to Kander and Ebb's already addictively rich dark chocolate score.

Form-fitting costumes by William Ivey Long are all black and all sassy. Like Long's revealing clothing, John Lee Beatty's set is also minimal. Black ladders, black cabaret-style chairs, black risers and black rectangular blocks give the chorus and the ladies of murderer's row all the pieces they need to straddle, sprawl, and otherwise engage in their Fosse-esque "Cell Block Tango" of corruption and deceit. The orchestra, a terrific band of regulars and locals making beautiful music together under the baton of Don York, is an essential element in Beatty's spare set. Seated center stage on elevated tiers throughout the show, the players provide the nightclub backdrop that defines director Walter Bobbie's cleverly reconceived Broadway burlesque. Their visible presence also enables them to mix it up with various cast members, resulting in some delightfully spontaneous moments of sexy fun.

When Chicago first opened in New York in 1975, it was quite possibly ahead of its time. Overshadowed by the juggernaut that was A Chorus Line, it slipped quietly into the musical theater archives after a modest two-year run. Today, America's insatiable appetite for celebrity and high-profile courtroom drama has thankfully given this Kander and Ebb masterpiece new life. With an Oscar-winning movie adaptation and a Tony-winning 12-year revival run to its credit, Chicago is finally getting the fanfare it deserves.

This limited Boston engagement was added to the Broadway Across America tour schedule when the Broadway-bound Harry Connick Jr. tryout of Nice Work If You Can Get It derailed a few months ago. If you haven't seen this streamlined but far from thin version of Chicago, by all means do try to catch it. The concept sizzles, and the cast dazzles.

PHOTOS: Bianca Marroquin as Roxie (credit Paul Kolnik); Terra C. MacLeod as Velma with ensemble (credit Paul Kolnik); Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton (credit Bruce Glikas); Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn with ensemble (credit Paul Kolnik)