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‘Chicago’ gives ’em the old razzle-dazzle

STEVE LIPSHER
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
Special to the Daily/Paul Kolnik
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Murder has never been so alluring as when clad in the fishnet stockings and stiletto heels on display in “Chicago,”on stage through this weekend at Denver’s Buell Theater.

The top-notch Broadway touring company takes a ribald, high-energy romp through the 1920s, offering equal parts seduction and treachery in famed director Bob Fosse’s deliciously black-hearted musical.

Michelle DeJean, a brassy redhead, plays the lead Roxie Hart with an endearing blend of ditziness and cold-hearted calculation, countered by Terra MacLeod’s dark and sinister Vaudevillian Velma Kelly ” both displaying great gams and absolutely no morals.



And Ben Elledge’s understated but tone-perfect turn as the sap Amos Hart reached its zenith with a sweetly heart-rending rendition of “Mr. Cellophane.”

A revival of a 1975 Broadway show, “Chicago” became a sensation with the Oscar-winning movie; the stage version is perhaps even more impressive, giving no second chances to nail Fosse’s taut ensemble choreography and Fred Ebbs’ clever, twisted lyrics.



A brilliant 14-piece orchestra, placed on risers in the middle of the stage and fully a part of the cast, showcased a series of showstopping songs, including “All That Jazz” and “All I Care About.”

In the words of slick scheister lawyer Billy Flynn, played by well-decorated stage and screen star Tom Wopat, the show gives ’em the ol’ razzle-dazzle.


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