Review: Chicago At The Wales Millennium Centre
The term ‘flawless’ is not to be used lightly, but Chicago could be described as nothing less. Hilarious, exciting, and incredibly sexy, this scandalous show will have your jaw aching from grinning so much.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chicago is at the Wales Millennium Centre until Saturday, 10th of May
Photo: Paul Coltas
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The story unfolds in the titular city of Chicago, immediately dazzling the audience with an opening song focused on murder, affairs, and the shady relationship between Roxie Hart, played by Janette Manrara, and her lover.
Roxie Hart is morally-dubious and not innocent by any means, and she needs a performer who can capture this deviousness whilst simultaneously enthralling the audience. Manrara did so brilliantly. She brought an incredibly charming and supporting presence to Roxie, allowing the audience to root for her despite the character’s personal shortcomings. Which in many ways, only make her more likable. Having been on Strictly Come Dancing since 2013, Manrara being a professional dancer was obvious on stage. Alongside remarkable vocals and acting prowess, Manrara excelled in this musical.
Starring next to Manrara was Djalenga Scott playing the wickedly fun Velma Kelly. Scott has great comedic timing, bringing out the funniest side of Velma. Scott lead the show with ‘And All That Jazz’, enthralling the audience from the first song’s first line: ‘Come on babe, why don’t we paint the town?’. Scott is the embodiment of good chemistry, having great character beats with both Manrara’s Roxie and Edwards’ Matron Morton. Scott truly shone in the ‘Cell Block Tango’ in which she was joined by a stellar ensemble where six women took centre stage to sing about how they had killed the men in their lives. Whether you’re rooting for Scott and the others at the end of the number does not matter, as you will have enjoyed the performance either way.
Photo: Paul Coltas
Click Here To Book Tickets
A true break-out was the extremely talented Brenda Edwards playing Matron “Mama” Morton. Entering stage to her song ‘When You’re Good to Mama’, Edwards captured the stage immediately. (Which is no easy task when up against an incredibly talented Jazz band.) As previously mentioned, Edwards and Scott had great chemistry, this being most prevalent during their performance of ‘Class’, where the two performers sat together for their duet. Edwards is not only a natural performer, but she is also a master one.
At the end of the show, all actors were credited by their names, something I’m grateful for because it allowed me to shine a light on the talent. At any point of the show you could focus in on any individual on stage and you would find yourself ‘wowed’ by their performance. The ensemble was made up of flawless performers, with Ria Tanaka, Matthew Sweet and Annabelle Laing to name only a few. All of the cast excelled in their dance-routines, which at some points included balancing on top of a ladder. This cast was one of the strongest I’ve seen from any theatre production. The teamwork was impeccable, with flawless timing throughout the numbers.
Outside of the actors, the ever-present Jazz band were phenomenal, with all members setting the scene of Chicago’s Jazz-filled underworld perfectly. The lighting was also flawless, at its best when it resembled prison bars down on Velma.
A fun, thrilling, and captivating show, Chicago is a blend of talented musicians, performers, and crew. It is certainly not to be missed. Anyone who can watch it, should do so.
Now, before I finish this review: may I have my exit music please!
