Review #9: Chicago, The Musical (On Broadway)

6.8/10
If Wendy Williams is there GET THE MOVIE.

As a long time lover of musicals I was very excited to have the opportunity to see Chicago, the longest running musical revial on Broadway.

The musical is an entertaining story about numerous women on trial for murder in late 1920's Chicago. The Broadway production is slightly more provocative then the film, and the band is both on stage and more a part of the experience. However, the film is a good facsimile of the production for those less enthusiastic about live theater. 

The production was phenomenal as anyone would expect for a Broadway musical, and the band was exceptional. The two main leads Roxie Hart (Amy Spangler) and Billy Flynn (Alexander Gemignani) gave exceptional performances along with Velma Kelly (Amra-Faye Wright).

HOWEVER, Mama Morton (Wendy Williams) who is apparently a daytime TV star with her own show was painful. It was hard not to cringe as some of the most fun and well known songs were butchered by her essentially talking on and off pitch. This is made worse by the high expectations for the role after seeing Queen Latifah in the film.

Chicago, The Musical would have been a solid 8.5-9.0 with a glowing recommendation, but live theater especially Broadway with relatively small casts relies on the leads to be the pillars of the production. The inclusion of a Star cast member may drive up ticket sales, but the quality of the show as a whole suffered and it was hard to justify the premium price of a Broadway musical.