Chicago

Murder gets all of the razzle dazzle Rob Marshall’s “Chicago.” Here the windy city appears as you imagine hell itself might look – a cross between the neon gaudiness of Piccadilly Circus and a purple-hazed prison. Suave lawyer Billy Flynn (the excellent David Leonard) is a Barnum-style showman who believes that things might have turned out differently even for Jesus Christ if he'd had $5,000 to employ him to defend him at his trial. He does a teasing strip that reveals nothing and plays the press and jury like a maestro to win freedom for his guilty clients, vaudeville performer Velma Kelly and would-be hoofer Roxie Hart. When the Hungarian Hunyak goes to her execution still protesting her innocence and almost certainly the victim of a miscarriage of justice, it is staged like a trick involving a magician's assistant that goes wrong. "Who says that murder is not an art?" asks Roxie as she starts to realise that standing trial for shooting her lover in cold blood may be the showbiz opportunity she has always longed would come her way.

The razzle does indeed dazzle and the musical numbers are sensational. Zellweger is in fine form. If she is not quite up to the role, perhaps she doesn't have it in her to portray such a trashy, despicable character. Zeta Jones, with a Lulu haircut and legs made for sparkly tights, is mesmerizingly beautiful and alone has all the razzle-dazzle this movie needs. Gere clearly enjoys his return to his musical theater roots and handles the musical numbers well, especially his big tap dance. Queen Latifah as the prison warden has a lot of snap and verve and a fabulous voice. But none are a match for the real dancers in the chorus. Director/choreographer Rob Marshall produces slinky dance numbers and sinuous camera work. The musical numbers are staged as nightclub performances and separate from the action to serve as counterpoint and commentary, illuminating the story and underscoring the theme of show over substance. Perhaps it is show instead of substance, or even show to make us forget that there is no substance. One reason it feels so empty at the core is that the story does not have a single likeable character, honest statement, unselfish motive, or generous gesture.

“Chicago” is not only an iconic broadway play and movie, but is also a staple in musical theatre. It’s a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals, and therefore, make criminals attractive. The story is told through various vaudeville acts and flashes through fantasy and reality. I’d recommend this movie and play to anyone looking for a highly entertaining masterpiece that walks you through a time in history with much dancing and singing.