Musical theatre reviewer BILL STEPHENS reflects on Canberra’s untiring love of the show Chicago.
When John Frost’s new production of the musical Chicago moves into Canberra Theatre in September it will by no means be the first time Canberra has seen this musical.
Actually, it won’t even be the first time Chicago has been presented in Canberra Theatre.
That honour goes to local company Tempo Theatre, which presented a production of Chicago there 40 years ago, in 1984.
Chicago as a musical was the brainchild of Broadway singer/dancer Gwen Verdon, who had read a 1926 play of the same name, that was set in Chicago in the jazz age and based on the lives of two real life Chicago murderesses who, upon release from prison, exploited their notoriety by touring the American vaudeville circuit as a double act.
Verdon was quick to recognise the play’s potential as a musical and suggested to her husband, Bob Fosse, a sought-after Broadway choreographer, that he develop the show as a showcase for her unique talents.
Fosse liked the idea and enlisted John Kander and Fred Ebb to write the music and lyrics. Fosse collaborated with Ebb on the book.
It took a while to get it off the ground but by 1975 Chicago was ready and opened on Broadway, directed and choreographed by Fosse and starring his wife as Roxy Hart. Another Broadway star, Chita Rivera, played Velma Kelly. The show with its themes of corruption, justice and show business was an immediate success.
The first Australian production of Chicago was produced by the Sydney Theatre Company in 1981. It was directed by Richard Wherrett and famously starred Nancye Hayes as Roxie Hart and Geraldine Turner as Velma Kelly. Terence Donovan, Jason Donovan’s father, played the celebrity lawyer, Billy Flynn, and Judi Connelli was Matron “Mama” Morton.
Canberra saw its first production of Chicago in 1984 when Tempo Theatre joined forces with the Canberra Theatre Trust to present an ambitious production.
Peter Williams directed, with Lola Nixon as Roxie, Angela Ayers as Velma and Val Lehman – of Prisoners fame – as “Mama” Morton. Local actor Dez Kavanagh played Billy Flynn and Leigh Chambers choreographed.
The production used costumes by Roger Kirk, and the cast boasted a who’s who of local actors, among them Judy Burnett, Janet Carey, Lea Francis, Trevor Findlay, Vesna Hindley-Noble, Stephen Pike, Helen Poulos, Shirley Thomas, Sandie Griffin, Lorraine Francis and Julie McElhone.
Since then, the Canberra Philharmonic Society has presented three separate productions of Chicago and Free Rain Theatre one.
Philo’s first was in the ANU Arts Centre in 1994, directed by Sue Belsham and choreographed by Michelle Heine with musical direction by Ian McLean. Barbara Denham played Velma, Sue Lake-Harris was Roxie with Judi Crane as the formidable matron.
In 2003 Stephen Pike directed a production for Philo in the Erindale Centre which was choreographed by Katelyn Keys. Jo Murray played Roxie and Jessica Taylor, Velma. Bronwyn Sullivan was “Mama” Morton, with Damian Haas as Billy Flynn. Ian Mclean was again the musical director.
Philo’s third shot at Chicago was in 2017, also in the Erindale Centre, and directed by Jim McMullen. Vanessa De Jager played Roxie and Kelly Roberts, Velma. Shell Tully took on the role of “Mama”. Chris Ronan was the musical director, and Emily Appleton and Hannah Carey shared the choreography.
Anne Somes directed the other local production for Free Rain at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre in 2012, with musical direction by Leisa Keen and Ian McLean conducting his third Chicago. This time Roxie was played by Jenna Roberts and Hanna Ley was Velma. Sarah Hull was cast as “Mama” Morton and Adrian Flor as Billy.
Fosse died in 1987, so for the 1996 Broadway revival a new version was conceived and choreographed by Ann Reinking, a close associate of Fosse, who choreographed her production “in the style of Bob Fosse”.
This version was premiered in Australia in 1998 in a production produced by John Frost with Caroline O’Connor and Chelsea Gibb playing the roles of Velma and Roxie. John Diedrich played the lawyer Billy.
For his 2009 revival, Frost teamed Caroline O’Connor, reprising her role as Velma, with Sharon Millerchip as Roxie Hart. Craig McLachlan played Billy Flynn with Canberra actor Damien Birmingham memorable as Roxie’s long-suffering husband, Amos.
Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Alinta Chidzey played Roxie and Velma for the 2019 revival with Casey Donovan as “Mama” Morton and Tom Burlinson as Billy.
Poised to razzle dazzle Canberra in 2024 , Lucy Maunder and Zoe Ventoura will play the merry murderesses, while Anthony Warlow will prove “there’s a little bit of good in everyone” as Billy Flynn.
Interestingly, Maunder and Ventoura both have Canberra connections. Lucy’s father, Stuart Maunder, directed a production of Evita for the Canberra Philharmonic Society in 1988, and Zoe’s mother is Ruth Osborne, the retiring CEO, artistic director and much admired dance doyen of Canberra’s QL2 Dance.
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