Loyola's Evergreen Players performed their rendition of the Broadway musical, Chicago, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Under the direction of Arion Alston and Ernest Liotti, a professor in Loyola's fine arts department, McManus Theater transformed into an era of jazz, liquor, adultery and murder reminiscent of Chicago in the 1920s.
Chicago is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice during the prohibition era in the city of Chicago. The musical centers on a pair of women in jail, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, who have been accused of murdering their husbands or lovers.
Velma Kelly was played by Emily Rutan, '10. Velma is a vaudevillian who shared an act with her sister. However, after finding her sister and her husband in bed together, she murders both of them before welcoming the audience to the show in the number, "All That Jazz." Rutan does a phenomenal job of portraying Velma's sassy personality, impudence and self-obsession.
Jenna Burnbaum, '10, plays the character Roxie Hart, a flighty chorus girl desperate for her own act. She murders her lover, Fred Casely, played by Joey Baccan, '13, for trying to walk out on her. When Roxie's dim-witted but sweet and loyal husband, Amos, played by David Ryan, '11, comes home to scene of the murder and Amos realizes the situation, the truth comes out and Roxie is arrested.
Burnbaum's first solo as Roxie was the song "Funny Honey." Her powerful voice combined with her portrayal of Roxie's selfish attitude and ungratefulness toward Amos made this number very entertaining. Once Roxie is taken to jail, the audience meets six murderesses, one being the famous Velma Kelly, as they tell their stories of their brutal killings in the number, "The Cell Block Tango." The choreography, done by Ron Giddings who graduated from Loyola, was filled with high kicks and lifts that wowed the audience.
We are then met with the jail's matron, Mama, played by Beth DeFries, '13. In the number, "When You're Good to Mama," we learn that Mama will do favors for the inmates as long as they do something for her first. This system has worked out well for Velma as Mama helped her to get the best lawyer in town, Billy Flynn, played by Christian Rees, '12. Billy Flynn has never lost a case to a woman client due to his ability to twist stories and manipulate the juries - as long as he gets $5,000.
Roxie becomes Billy Flynn's main client, leaving Velma in the dust. Roxie's press conference with Billy turns into a ventriloquist number, "We Both Reached for the Gun," as Billy speaks for Roxie and manipulates the press. The dancers moved around like ventriloquist dummies with Roxie sitting on Billy Flynn's lap acting as his dummy. The choreography was creative and it was the most unique number in the musical. It also highlighted Rees' great vocal talent.
Brad Thistlethwaite, '12, played the sympathetic and impressionable reporter, Mary Sunshine, who is introduced to us at Roxie's press conference. Thistlethwaite's vocal range was demonstrated in the song, "A Little Bit of Good." His ability to hit really high notes kept the audience entertained.
As Roxie's fame continues to rise and she and Billy Flynn work on their "performance" for the trial, a Chicago socialite, "Go to Hell" Kitty, played by Amanda Mikhail, '11, murders her husband and the two women he finds him in bed with. Mikhail runs through the audience while kicking and cursing at all the reporters, as well as shouting at members of the audience. Her case becomes the next big thing, leaving Roxie in the dust. However, Roxie thinks quickly and decides to pretend she is pregnant in order to get more publicity for her case.
Amos believes that Roxie really is pregnant and tries to get her attention, which leads into his solo, "Mr. Cellophane." In this number, Ryan nails Amos' simple speech and sings about how everyone walks all over him. When it's finally time for Roxie's trial, Billy Flynn convinces the jury that she is not guilty. Immediately after the verdict is announced, another murder takes place outside the courtroom, causing the reporters to rush outside. Roxie's case is old news.
Roxie is devastated that her publicity is gone: "They didn't even want my picture!" She teams up with Velma in a double act, "Nowadays," which ends with the rest of the cast joining in and cheering on the two women during their final dance number.
The most exciting part about Loyola's Chicago was that the cast always looked like they were enjoying themselves throughout the whole performance. The choreography was impressive and the entire cast had great vocal abilities.
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