Chicago (Capitol Theatre) ★★★½

Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Capitol Theatre. 9 Jun – 28 Jul, 2024.

Kicks, splits, tits and Lipschitz – Kander & Ebb’s Chicago has Fosse’d its way back into town. This almost-30-year-old production of an almost-50-year-old show was last seen in Sydney in 2019. And as great as the ol’ girl is… has she run out of steam?

The short answer is ‘no’. Chicago is a classic for a reason – the combination of three musical theatre geniuses in Kander, Ebb and Fosse have created a show that is unironically bullet-proof. Walter Bobbie and Ann Reinking’s production (first staged in 1996) is sleek and sexy, keeping the focus on the smallest of movements. It makes the big space of the Capitol Theatre feel intimate. And these tunes are so ingrained in the musical theatre canon, the show plays like a Greatest Hits concert.

This new tour sees Zoë Ventoura and Lucy Maunder step into the roles of the jaded Velma Kelly and the avaricious Roxie Hart. Both nail their parts as the hard working professionals they are. The Fosse-inspired choreography is handled beautifully, but their vocals felt timid at times lacking show-stopping power. Anthony Warlow is effortlessly excellent as Billy Flynn (did you expect anything less?) and Peter Rowsthorn wins the heart of the audience as the ignored Amos Hart. Asabi Goodman is so powerful as Mama Morton you wonder whether they even bother to mic her. 

But for all the attention that is paid to the leads, the real stars are the sexiest ensemble to populate a show. This crew of triple threats with abs to spare and curves to die for (if you need winter gymspiration – here it is) are the true drawcard, serving comedy, choreography and stunning vocals in skin-tight mesh and leather. To steal a line from The Producers, “Even though we’re sitting down, we’re giving you a standing ovation.”

Overseas, Chicago has run non-stop for decades (it’s currently the longest running show on Broadway), cycling through celebrity stunt cast after celebrity stunt cast to the point it has become something of a punchline. But I can’t help think about how two things can be true at the same time. This production of Chicago is both a glorious classic I love and simultaneously dated and tired. It’s like listening to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. You can appreciate the genius while thinking it’s old fashioned. 

If you’ve never seen Chicago then go and soak it all in. If you saw it in 2019 and are wondering whether to see it again, well, that’s going to be up to you. But for new audiences, accustomed to the technology and wizardry of modern theatrical blockbusters, it may seem a little quaint. Hopefully, one day soon, a new director will be allowed to reinvent the show for the next generation to come.