All that Chicago Jazz for Brisbane.
Queensland independent musical theatre company Blue Fish Theatrical are gearing up for their 2012 season of the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago, which opens on April 19.
It’s an exciting show for Blue Fish's cast, musicians and creatives, who describe Chicago as the ultimate "dream show", saying “intense passion, training and commitment has underscored the company's rehearsal process in its effort to honour this acclaimed musical gem.”
Chicago has become one of the most popular and acclaimed musicals of the last 40 years. Since the original 1975 collaboration between Bob Fosse, John Kander & Fred Ebb it has enjoyed incarnations including the long-running Tony Award winning Ann Reinking & Walter Bobbie revival of 1996 and the Oscar winning 2002 Rob Marshall movie musical.
Australian productions of Chicago over the decades range from the original 1982 Australian Production, starring Nancye Hayes, Judi Connelli and Geraldine Turner, to the most recent 2009 national tour featuring Caroline O'Connor, Sharon Millerchip and Craig McLachlan.
At the heart of Chicago is "the sensual and pulsating Kander & Ebb score and the sexy cynicism vs. the delicacy & precision of Fosse choreography."
Staged as a musical vaudeville, this biting musical satire tells the tale of merry murderesses Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly vying for celebrity and fame with the aid of razor-sharp lawyer Billy Flynn, set against a backdrop of the jazz-age roaring 1920s.
The Blue Fish production features an ensemble of local Queensland talent including Jessica Papst as Velma Kelly, Cait Gregor as Roxie Hart, Wade Colbran-Thomas as Billy Flynn, Natalie Ridoutt as Matron Mama Morton and special guest Marc James as Amos Hart, backed by a 14 piece on-stage band.
Blue Fish says, “Each and every one of these knock-out performers has embraced and respected the opportunity to play in the world of jazz-age Chicago. They are all modern vaudevillians in their own right...perfect for a show that is so unique in its vaudeville concert staging.
“It’s legendary, it’s show-stoppin' it’s unmistakably popular. It is an iconic celebration of music and dance. It is music theatre at its purest and greatest. Blue Fish can't wait for everyone in the stratosphere to join us to tap their toes and hum along to this immortal show...with all that jazz.”
With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Chicago is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins.
Director: Tony Campbell. Musical Director: Julie Whiting. Choreographer: Jenny Usher.
Also featuring: Donovan Wagner, Kathleen Simmonds, Emma Cheeseman, Becky Carter, Ashley Carfine, Megan McPhee, Jessica Adie, James Whiting, Christopher Batkin, Stephen Dorrington, Sunny Jegamohan, Christopher King, Darcy Morris, Timothy Tran, Erin Coates, Roxanne Harding, Shelley Marshall, Madalyn Milazzo, Anna Nicholson and Natalie Renouf.
Images (from top): Cell Block Girls and Billy Flynn; Cait Gregor as Roxie Hart and Jessica Papst as Velma Kelly.
BLUE FISH THEATRICAL - CHICAGO
April 19 – 28, 2012
Schonell Theatre, St Lucia, Brisbane
More Reading
Community Theatre Seasons 2012 - www.stagewhispers.com.au/community-theatre/community-theatre-seasons-2012
More Community Theatre - www.stagewhispers.com.au/community-theatre
Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.
