The tour of the 1996 revival of Chicago

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen; you are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, and treachery - all those things we all hold near and dear to our hearts. Thank you."

Those are the first lines you'll hear when you see the tour of the 1975 Kander and Ebb musical Chicago, which plays the Fox through this Sunday [March 8th, 1998]. Pay attention to them; they're a microcosm of both the story line and the attitude of the show.

If you didn't know it was over twenty years old, you might be justified in thinking Chicago had been written yesterday. The story of murderess Roxie Hart - whose bogus change of heart makes her on overnight sensation with the celebrity-obsessed press and public - is as current as the latest sound bites on CNN. And it provides an opportunity for satirical pot-shots at judges, lawyers, celebrity hounds and, of course, the celebrities themselves.

I don't believe that all those opportunities are realized, though. Genuine satire requires a point of view. Kander and Ebb can't seem to make up their minds whether to deride the mindless superficiality of celebrity culture or revel in it, so they do both. In Act II, for example, the music and lyrics of "Razzle Dazzle" attack the cynical "smoke and mirrors" approach to entertainment while simultaneously engaging in it with a brilliantly executed production number. You could call this irony, but there's a rather fine line between the ironic and the self-serving.

The staging of this revival accentuates this irony - if that's what it is - by stripping away the colorful costumes and carnival trappings of the original. Instead we get a minimalist black set and plain black and white (but still very revealing) costumes. As in the original Chicago, the small jazz band is on stage, but this time the bandstand takes up most of that stage, with a shallow space down center for the action. Overall, what you get is a black velvet setting for the real gems of the show - the stars. That's right; the show that attacks celebrity power also relies on that power for much of its success.

In the Broadway version of this revival, "celebrity power" meant Anne Reinking (who also choreographed "in the style of Bob Fosse") as Roxie Hart; Bebe Neuwirth as the equally unscrupulous but less successful Velma Kelly; James Naughton as the slick lawyer Billy Flynn; and Joel Grey as the hapless Amos Hart - the closest thing to a sympathetic character in the whole show. In this tour, it means Karen Ziemba, Stephanie Pope, Brent Barrett and Tom McGowan, respectively. The wattage isn't the same, but they're all outstanding performers, and Ziemba could well be on her way to genuine super-star status. She's certainly got the moves, the comic timing, and the charisma for it. As a team, they make Chicago more entertaining than it possibly deserves to be.

My misgivings aside, however, Chicago is still an impressive and vital show. Musical theatre fans who haven't had the opportunity to see this brilliantly cynical piece certainly ought to check it out, especially with a production as polished and cast as talented as this one. Be warned, though, that it contains adult situations and language, so don't bring kids under fifteen. You might want to think twice about granny as well. Chicago continues at the Fox through Sunday evening, March 8th. Call 534-1111 for ticket information.