The Statler’s Waldorf: Review of Chicago

Chicago Director Chyrel Miller

By David Norman for TAGsgf.com

Springfield Little Theatre never ceases to amaze me, it brings out the very best SGF has to offer and continues to produce, what I consider, big local hits, and especially with this particular performance of Chicago that opened at the Landers this past weekend. Directed by Vaudeville Princess Chyrel Miller, this Kander, Ebb, and Fosse classic was one of the most anticipated performances of the Little Theatre’s 2011 season.

I liked Chicago for all the right reasons. Not simply because it’s a local production and I’m the go-to on these kinds of things, but because I’m making a bold statement by saying that Chyrel Miller could easily take most of this cast and show on tour – further confirming to other audiences from CA to VA that CHICAGO (and SGF) is AWESOME. I have seen professional touring performances in the Fox Theatre in StL and Music Hall in KC whose cast barely equal what we have going on right now (and for the next two weeks, mind you) in SGF at the Landers – and none of these performers are getting paid. Chicago is big and bold and over the top; an eye feast of sensual dreadfulness and titillating beauty. Welcome to the Queen City of Vaudeville, ladies and gentlemen!

Chicago follows the story of murderess Roxie Hart and her equally vampy jail-mate Velma Kelly in a time when liquor and jazz are hot, and headlines are hotter. A girl’s gotta have an act, you know, and the only way to get it is through fame – no matter the means. So when Roxie’s lover, Fred, doesn’t come through on his promise to make her a star, she murders him and plays the innocent victim to her soft-hearted husband, Amos. When sleazy lawyer, Billy Flynn, arrives to help Roxie earn her acquittal, and a famous name, the story truly takes a turn for the underhanded.

Miller has found some of Springfield’s finest performers to bring life to all of these iconic characters.

The name on everybody’s lips is “Roxie,” played by Little Theatre newcomer Meredith Stewart. A young woman who’s got the lung capacity of an Olympic athlete – for real, the girl never loses pitch or tone when the doing Charleston from stage left to stage right, or shuffling through a complicated Quickstep. She’s a sweet and sour little tart that manages to steal your heart while you’re still reaching for the gun. I look forward to future roles that Stewart takes on now that she’s twinkling in the Landers’ spotlight.

Brooke Stephens plays Billy Flynn, the sleazy lawyer who defends Roxie for her murderous affair. Stephens is a seasoned vet, having performed in multiple national touring companies all over the country and he smugly flashes his talent at you during during the numbers “All I Care About,” and “Razzle Dazzle,” with his perfect hair, perfect suit, stellar smile, and fantastic voice. He oozes the sleaze with style and pizzazz, and is easily one of the most believable characters in the musical.

Although Stewart and Stephens were fantastic, it is Derrick Jarvis who is the one to watch. He easily evokes the most emotion from the audience as the Mr. Cellophane, Amos Hart. Hart is a character who claims that he is see-through and no one ever notices him, but in this case, you, Mr. Amos Hart (aka Derrick Jarvis), are the one we all paid attention to. Using Amos, Jarvis plucks at your conscience and reminds you what is taking place within the play is actually really and truly wrong. In fact, Jarvis plays it so well, it’s almost a relief when his character and his conscience exits the stage after being rejected by Roxie in the second act because you finally feel like you’re free and able to solely enjoy the deliciously evil Roxie Hart. It’s like those Humane Society commercials with the Sarah McLachlan song in them: you’re glad it’s over so you don’t feel so freaking compelled. It’s when it stings a little…that sting, man-oh-man, that’s good acting, folks.

In addition to these three standouts, Miller has filled the stage with an entire troupe of talented dancers and actors. The only character that I wish I could’ve gotten more from was Matron, but opening night can sometimes rattle the nerves. The costumes, choreography, and cast all bleed the Fosse style and Miller has accomplished a great feat in framing the actors in an almost nonexistent set, using the placement and movement of her dancers to direct the eye to specific locations and actions. My eyes were never left wanting. When I last spoke to Miller she had no set plans to undertake any future productions in Little Theatre. It would be a sad and unfortunate situation to never see her direct in SGF again because she has a particular talent for this type of production.

Finally, a tip of the bowler and a big Statler’s “hurrah” to Susan Gravatt and her band for the spot-on music and menagerie of wonderful sounds that poured from the stage into my ear holes, I’ve been humming along to “Cell Block Tango” ever since.

Chicago runs through April 17 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays. Tickets are $25 for an adult ticket and $22 for seniors. You can purchase tickets online or call the Box office at (417) 869-1334. Children’s tickets are $15 but Chicago is rated PG-13 (and takes advantage of it) so mind the kiddos.

Enjoy the razzle-dazzle.