Review: Chicago The Musical at the Cadillac Palace

Chicago is a great musical- it's got juicy roles for women, avante-garde choreography, memorable songs, three great roles for men , and everything seems to fit together perfectly, like a well-designed puzzle.

It's also been properly acknowledged. It's the #1 Longest Running American Musical and the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival and won the Grammy award for Best Musical Cast Recording.






The current Broadway tour, which is in Chicago now through May 12, is a fun production that puts the music center stage- literally.  There's a 13 piece orchestra featuring trumpets, trombones, and a tuba right in the center of the stage and visible for almost the entire show.

The performers are all great, especially Lana Gordon as Velma and Dylis Croman as Roxie, who both managed to sell their sexiness as actors without seeming cheap or insulting.

Sexy is definitely part of the allure of the musical.  I took my 10 year old to the show, and was a little glad that he fell asleep during a couple of the scenes that were a little more risque than I remembered.   There's nothing X-rated or even R-rated, but PG-15 is more like it.  There's a lot of sexual talk.

I also really appreciated former NFL standout Eddie George as razzle dazzle lawyer Billy Flynn.  He exceeded all expectations (which, to be fair, were not particularly high)  I assumed he was a celebrity casting, put in as a concession to men who might not want to go to a musical.. He was really good, with a great voice, good comedy instincts, and hit every mark.

The  song "We Both Reached For The Gun" in which he puts Roxie Hart on his knee and operates her like a ventriloquist doll, was particularly well done.  I was hoping for a little more, well, Razzle Dazzle in the song Razzle Dazzle, and while it wasn't quite there, overall he did a great job.

I left the place humming the songs and feeling great, which is EXACTLY how you should leave a Broadway Musical.

Performances continue today through May 12.   Individual tickets are currently on sale and range in price from $30-$100 with a select number of premium tickets available.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.