On Broadway
Theatre Review

New Cast Glows in "Chicago."

Chicago Schubert Theatre - 225 W. 44 St.
    starring: Ute Lemper, Karen Ziemba, Alan Thicke

    "Nobody’s got no class. There’s no decency left." If you credit this sentiment as another of William Bennett’s digs at society, think again. These immortal words are uttered by a 1920s murderer and her prison warden in the sassy, brassy, Tony-award winning musical "Chicago," now playing at the Shubert Theatre. EN00515A.gif (1017 bytes)

    When this deliciously satiric Kander and Ebb musical opened in the ’70s, it was deemed too dark and cynical for such feel-good times. A murderer as a star? A slick lawyer playing fast and loose with the truth? Audiences shuddered. Well, it’s ’90s America now, and in a post-OJ world, "Chicago" (with a new cast) is brilliantly on target.

    The plot concerns one Roxy Hart (Karen Ziemba), who took her lover’s rejection to heart. Some women would just write the bum off; Roxy prefers a good old-fashioned shootout. Luckily, her hapless husband can raise the money for a smarmy, read successful lawyer. While attorney Billy Flynn (Alan Thicke) is busy concocting anEN00515A.gif (1017 bytes) outrageous scenario to free his client, the women who keeping Roxy company in Cook County prison, namely one Velma Kelly (played by the divine Ute Lemper) and matron (Marcia Lewis), shower us with a jazzy, razzle-dazzle of sight, sound and motion.

    Staged in a Brechtian manner, complete with hard-chiseled dancers whose bodies provide all the scenery we need, "Chicago" explores the unholy alliance between crime and celebrity with sinister glee. The story is hugely entertaining, the dancing is first rate and the score is fantastic. Lemper, who plays her role with "Cabaret"-esque precision, boasts a sultry voice and singular style. Thicke is both slick and seductive as Flynn, while Ziemba, an accomplished singer and dancer, lacks that aggressive, in-your-face quality Ann Reinking originally brought to the role.

    Still, the ensemble, one of the hardest working on Broadway, is riveting. Sure, criminals may be the flavor of the month, but who says we can’t enjoy their antics? "Chicago" reminds us that deception is as American as apple pie. —Fern Siegel

 

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