A complete sell out for Chicago
Posted on May 23, 2025
‘And even without clucking like a hen,’ so the line goes from Mr Cellophane in the second act, ‘Everyone gets noticed, now and then’. And acting as the despairingly invisible husband Amos to one of the central figures of the show, Roxie Hart, Benjamin McLaren (Rutherford House) certainly got noticed for an outstanding performance with comic timing and lovable presence on stage in the 2025 production of Chicago by Macleans College.
A short run of four sell out shows set the Colin Prentice auditorium alight as nearly thirty students shimmied and shook their way through the raucous 1970s musical, based on a 1920s satirical play. Putting on a performance like this masterful show that holds its own as one of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history certainly comes with its challenges. Expectations are high. Most of the audience would know at least a handful of the songs, and likely some of the story. As well as this, audiences know that Chicago is nothing if not risque - even with a ‘high school’ edition of the production. Appreciation must go to Miss Burnett for her outstanding directorship of this and navigating some of the elements of the show's more mature content exceptionally well.
Leading the cast with brilliant performances were the formidable duo of Kate Buchanan (Rutherford) as Roxie Hart, and Sarah Adams (Kupe) as Velma Kelly. Vying for the adoration of the crowds and the presses, they each took the audience on a rather madcap plan, mastermined by Billy Flynn - played by Sam Swallow (Hillary), to alleviate their respective criminal sentences for a career in show business. The singing from these two rivalled any slick professional performance one would care to compare to.
Supporting the central characters was a host of named characters, each of whom added their own Razzle Dazzle to the performance with style and grace. For example, Justice Etzenhouser (Batten) brought her jail time sass to the role of Mama Morton, doing back alley deals left right and centre to help Roxie and Velma make their mark in the world. Her presence on stage was captivating. Turning to dance, Miss Olivier brought a level of pizazz to the many dancing numbers of the show - notwithstanding that Chicago has always been touted as a show of dancers - that highlighted the strength, depth and sheer talent in dance that we have at the school.
From the music side, Dr Miles once again led a small but highly effective orchestra that sounded fantastic and provided a wonderfully authentic experience for audiences. Dr Miles’s skill as a musical director is legendary and Chicago once again proved this to be true. Similarly, the sound desk team and lighting were on form, giving the audiences that polished feel.
It’s rare that a high school musical is quite so put together as Chicago was, from the quirky humour that landed well with audiences, to the slick and highly impressive cast with their performance across the dancing, singing, musicality and (of course), all that jazz.
Reviewed by Mr Reed, Faculty Head of English.
