A lone chair, stark and waiting under a single spotlight, signals the stillness before the storm. “Ladies and gentlemen,” booms the Master of Ceremonies, “You are about to see a story of greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery.” There’s no pretence, no veiled metaphors here –Chicagolays its cards on the table from the off. But even if audiences have seen the show a dozen times before, the latest remount of the famed 1996 revival – currently electrifying the stage at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking – is a thrilling, sizzling spectacle, infused with just the right amount of grit, wit, and glitz.
First performed in 1975 and revamped to great acclaim in the mid-90s,Chicago has rightly earned its place as one of the crown jewels of musical theatre. With its biting satire of the American justice system, vaudevillian razzamatazz, and Bob Fosse’s signature angular choreography, it continues to resonate nearly half a century later. The themes – celebrity obsession, media manipulation, gendered double standards and moral ambiguity – remain strikingly pertinent, no less in today’s influencer age than they were in the prohibition era.
As the sassy and sharp Velma Kelly, Djalenga Scott sets the tone with a smouldering rendition ofAll That Jazz. Confident and sultry, Scott embodies the hardened showgirl with a feline finesse, each hip flick and shoulder roll landing with show-stopping precision. Her command of Fosse’s stylistic vernacular is evident from the first note – fluid, poised, and unapologetically fierce.
Enter Roxie Hart, the doe-eyed, dream-laden murderess with a hunger for stardom. Played by Cuban-American performer Janette Manrara, best known for her charisma onStrictly Come Dancing, Roxie is imbued with a cocktail of naïveté and ambition. Manrara’s interpretation is captivating – she brings both vulnerability and steel to the role, charting Roxie’s transformation from a ditzy chorus girl to a headline-hungry siren with sly charm and impeccable comic timing.
Her chemistry with Darren Day, portraying the smooth-as-silk defence lawyer Billy Flynn, is electric. Their duet,We Both Reached For the Gun, is a masterclass in musical theatre puppetry – Day manipulating Manrara’s limbs like a marionette as he spins a false narrative for the press. It’s a scene both technically impressive and deliciously farcical – the audience is in stitches throughout.
The show’s most commanding vocal moment arrives courtesy of Sinitta Malone – yes, that Sinitta – who dons the mantle of Matron “Mama” Morton. Her rendition of When You’re Good to Mama is saucy, soulful and suitably smug. Malone exudes a brassy allure, reveling in the character’s transactional morality with a wink and a growl. She’s clearly having a ball – and the audience, equally so.
As Amos Hart, the perennial sad sack of a husband, Joshua Lloyd is irresistibly endearing. His solo,Mister Cellophane, lands not through virtuosic vocals but via sheer pathos and timing. His hangdog expression and wobbly sincerity win over the audience completely – a reminder that, in a world of dazzle and deceit, there’s something quietly noble in being invisible.
Visually, the production stays true to its Brechtian roots – minimalist and monochrome, allowing the performers and the music to shine. The bandstand, a gilt-framed, tiered structure in the centre of the stage, holds the live orchestra in full view – not background, but integral to the on-stage action. From this pulpit of jazz, the ensemble emerges, weaving around the musicians with synchronised sensuality. The choreography is hypnotic: writhing silhouettes, razor-sharp isolations, and a syncopated pulse that runs through every tableau. Whether conjuring a courtroom circus, a smoky club, or a prison talent show, the cast animate the stark set with dazzling vitality.
By the final scene, Roxie and Velma – now weary of the fleeting fame they so furiously chased – unite in a last-ditch bid for the limelight. Nowadays is both celebratory and elegiac, the sparkle of the gold curtain behind them undercut by a sense of resignation. Though their duet is slick and stylish, their synchronicity lacks a touch of the magic required to truly merge two towering egos into one seamless act. As in the prison, Roxie emerges as the star – a final nod to the show's enduring cynicism about celebrity, sisterhood and survival.
Sassy, sharp and endlessly stylish, Chicago in Woking proves that this classic still has legs – long, fishnet-clad ones – and plenty to say.
Until 2 August at New Victoria Theatre, Woking
www.atgtickets.com/shows/chicago/new-victoria-theatre/
