Chicago Teen Edition is a musical based on the Broadway play made in 1975. The show follows Roxie Hart through her trial journey, after killing her boyfriend and going to jail. While in jail, Hart meets Velma Kelly, a famous dancer who was arrested for killing her sister and husband. Hart also learns the stories of other women who had similar experiences through the song “Cell Block Tango.” The story is set in the 1920s during the “jazz era” and covers the corruption facing the city of Chicago at the time.
From the very beginning, I really enjoyed the voices of all the actors and I think they all had a specific uniqueness that made their dynamics very interesting. To start, Velma, played by Junior Reagan Donnelly, really showcased her skills while leading the show. She sang in a passionate and strong tone which showcases her confidence and her fearlessness. On the other hand, she was also able to showcase Velma’s soft side during the song “ I Can’t Do it Alone.” My favorite song led by her was definitely “All that Jazz” as she started off the show very strong and was able to grasp the audience’s attention. I also really enjoyed her leading of the chorus in “Cell Block Tango” because her voice sounded really good and the addition of the ensemble joining with her afterward really helped the song come together. Donnelly did well filling such a big role and the directors made the right choice casting her.
The other main character, Roxie Hart, played by Junior Angelina Kmaya, had a different tone than Velma, but fit it with her character’s personality. She sang in a dramatic and intense way which shows her emotional side. Roxie’s storyline is interesting because, unlike a lot the other murderers the audience meets in the jail, watchers get to follow Roxie through her trial process and final release from prison. I really liked how Kymaya was able to showcase an aggressive side throughout the show and wasn’t afraid to be dramatic, as her character was meant to be. Her voice and skills were showcased well in “Funny Honey,” when she is describing how much her husband loves her. Later in the song, she slowly started to crack as her husband tells the truth and gives her up to the police. She also did well in “Roxie” and “Me and My Baby”. Overall she portrayed her character in the perfect way.
Matron “Mama” Morton is the “Queen Bee” of the jail and helps the girls, all arrested for murder. Morton came on stage for the first time with her own song and, with a lot of strength and vibrato, showed her age and wisdom in the jail. Sophomore Willow Nwamadi had so much power in her voice and was able to hold my attention. I also liked her voice the most in “When You’re Good to Mama.” Mwamdi did well in her role and embodied the confident and wise “Mama.”
Amos is Roxie’s husband, a mechanic, who she ends up cheating on. One of my favorite songs was “Mister Cellophane,” sung by junior Hudson Rose, playing Amos. The character’s quirky personality made him one of my favorite characters. His character was very funny and was able to stick out to me, even when his whole song is about him going unnoticed in life. I feel like his development was reliant on his songs because it showed another side to him and emphasized that he noticed he was ignored and walked all over. Even though he didn’t have as strong a personality as some of the other characters, he added a balance to the show that was definitely necessary.
Billy Flynn, played by sophomore Luciano Rojas, is one of the most important characters in the show; he is the lawyer who helps Velma, Roxie, and other women in the jail. He is portrayed as a kind and loving person, but the audience later sees that he doesn’t have as much care for his clients as he pretends to and is really in it for the money. His personality is shown as he sings in a low and controlled tone, almost like Michele Bubela, which made him seem charismatic and charming. Billy added to the show by being the character each person connected to as he worked with the main girls. Rojas did well controlling the stage and giving off the perception that he knew he was good at his job. Overall, his character was well done and Rojas was definitely the right choice.
We can’t forget the ensemble and dancers. One of my favorite parts of the Frisco show was the dancers of the production. They made the show amazing. My favorite use of the ensemble and dancers was in the songs “All I Care About is Love” and “We Both Reached For the Gun”.
“All I Care About is Love” was led by Billy Flynn and I liked how the dancers used feathered props, which added to the theme of the 20s and the “jazzy” time period. Similarly, the song “We both Reached for the Gun” may be one of my favorites of the whole show because of the elements of the cast and the uniqueness of the song. The song is used to portray the story of Roxie at a press interview with her lawyer Billy, who ”uses her as a puppet” and answers for her about where she is from and what she has gone through. The dancers really added to this because they were acting as the press, following Roxie’s story. They even acted as puppets who were being manipulated by Billy’s story.
The dancing in “Cell Block Tango,” also really engaged me early on because I like how it started with a simple formation with the six murders, and later more of the ensemble joined as the song crescendoed, which added more musicality. I enjoyed the addition of the smaller ensemble which added to a majority of the songs.
Overall, I enjoyed the musicality, line delivery, dynamics, and overall portrayal of all the characters. I am very pleased with the show.
