Chicago is fun but flawed

Having recently experienced Hollywood's rendition of the Broadway hit, it would be difficult for anyone to expect our school's stage production to be of the same caliber. We were not expecting any Catherine Zeta-Joneses or Richard Geres when entering Cohen Auditorium on opening night. However, having seen the talent in previous Torn Ticket productions and already knowing the richness of the show's story, we went in still expecting to be wowed and amazed. While this expectation was not met in full, there was plenty to be happy about.

Dance is a large component of this show. The choreography was somewhat simple, but it was fun to watch nonetheless. A particularly well done number was "A Tap Dance," in which the dancers humorously interpret for the audience what happens in that scene. The much-anticipated "Cell Block Tango" could stand to be flashier, with better-organized transitions between singers and faster moves, but this wasn't what really bothered us.

The number that needed the most improvement was "Nowadays, Hot Honey Rag." This is the grand finale, intended to stir up the audience and really finish off the show with a bang. But the choreography was slow and, except for a couple of good moves, unimpressive. Instead of leaving the audience with eyes wide open and hearts racing, it left us wondering, "Is that all?"

The acting throughout the play was consistently convincing. Each actor brought forth the essence of his or her character. Craig Convissar's portrayal of Mary Sunshine was most amusing. He did a fine job impersonating a woman and expressing offense when exposed as a male towards the end of the show. Moira Murphy-Cairns played Velma Kelly with the perfect amount of indignation and pride, especially during her first encounters with fellow inmate Roxie Hart. She danced well, especially in "I Can't Do it Alone," a number that demanded great stamina on her part. Roxie, played by Suzanne Corbett, was also impressive. Her acting was neither exaggerated nor understated. Andrew Beattie, who played Amos Hart, truly made the audience feel sorry for his pitiful character, really putting himself into his part when singing "Mister Cellophane." And by the end of the show, Deane Madsen left the audience wanting more of cunning Billy Flynn.

However, Chicago is a story of ambition, murder, and justice, infused with femme fatales, hot jazz, and the glamour of show biz in the 1920s and even from the beginning, with the pit orchestra's rendition of the overture, the show could not communicate these essential aspects of the play to the audience. Jazz music in general is known for its richness and moving rhythms, and Chicago does it big-band style. The pit, whether due to technical difficulties or the shabby acoustics of the auditorium, and the lack of volume of the players themselves, simply could not produce enough sound. Velma Kelly, played by Murphy-Cairns, started off the play singing the famous "All That Jazz." And though she was in tune, her singing was somewhat weak and lacked passion.

As far as overall performances of the actors and actresses go, their quality ranged in terms of singing, dancing, and acting. It was clear that the main obstacle for most of the performers was singing. Corbett, Madsen, and Beattie were the best of the bunch, but we heard nothing truly spectacular. None of the voices were awful and all were in tune for the most part, but it seemed as though all the work put into the dancing took away from the singing. In general, there was not enough strength in their sound.

Our biggest question is: Why Chicago and why now? With the pressure put upon the cast and crew by the successful movie, this show became much more difficult and ambitious a project than it otherwise would have been - and it shows. No matter how hard the audience tries not to, it will naturally make comparisons between the show and the movie. The show, though imperfect, would still have been more enthralling when not compared with the Oscar winning film. Those who were not familiar with the story of Chicago and its other more famous productions beforehand might have found the show to be worth their while, but we cannot say the same.