[Herald Review] ‘Chicago’ induces unapologetic laughter at lust, greed and murder

One of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history, “Chicago” has made its way back to Seoul with an American cast who brilliantly recreate the good ol’ days of scandalous jazz tunes. 

Sprinkled with a wicked murderous twist, the show weaves one of musical theater’s more shamefully alluring tales of lies and human greed.

“You’re about to hear a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery -– all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts,” said one cast member, kicking off the start of the show at the National Theater of Korea. 

Never has vaudevillian humor felt so amusing and never has chuckling at the confessions of gruesome murders felt so appropriate than in this six-time Tony Award-winning musical set in Roaring Twenties-era Chicago as it tells the notorious tale of murderous convicts Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart in their desperate shots at superstardom -- even if their claim to fame is murder.

The hilariously entertaining jailhouse plot features cast members from the U.S. Tour Company, with Terra MacLeod as Velma Kelly; Dylis Croman as Roxie Hart; Marco Zunino as Billy Flynn; and Roz Ryan as Mamma Morton.

MacLeod’s burlesque-inspired raspy voice and “jazz hands” captured the audience members’ attention right from the opening performance of “All That Jazz,” truly captivating the cold, heartless yet oddly sympathetic persona of Velma.  

The female cast’s later performance of “Cell Block Tango,” climaxing with its signature chorus line “he had it coming, he only had himself to blame,” sent unashamed laughter throughout the theater, setting the seedy, yet pleasantly welcome tone for the remainder of the show.

Croman’s cutesy performance as the annoyingly lovable, yet horribly deceptive Roxie Hart was as compelling as MacLeod’s. During the show, Croman even threw in a little Korean -- bellowing out “thank you God” amid her sexy entourage of handsome men during “Roxy,” to the audience’s amusement.

Although commendable, Zunino’s role as the conniving, sleazy, dirt-bag attorney Billy Flynn wasn’t quite “razzle dazzle” enough to pull off the part, having too much of a nice-guy look to fully persuade the audience that the lying cheat was only out for money. 

Overall, the musical performance was a breath of fresh air, mixing in just enough local references to the original Broadway script to not only keep spectators in a continuous fit of laughter, but also as an auditory treat with some of the musical stage’s most recognized tunes.

As one of the world’s most famous musical productions, “Chicago” has been performed in more than 420 cities and seen by more than 22 million people.

The original cast run of the musical will be held at the National Theater of Korea every day until Aug. 8. Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)