Chicago

On the 15th February, my other half ad I went to Stamford to watch Chicago at the Corn Exchange. I love seeing shows, and going to the theatre, however we haven't really gone as much as we have wanted, until the past couple of years.

Last year we saw Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde at the Arts Centre in Stamford, and enjoyed it tremendously. When I heard there was a show of Chicago I knew I had to see it.

Despite Storm Dennis battering his way through England I couldn't miss the show. We got to Stamford safely thanks to a lovely friend for driving us there. Once we arrived it was roughly 7:15, and the corn exchange was already starting to fill up with patrons. I collected our tickets from the box office, thankfully there was no queue, and then headed upstairs to the theatre.

The Corn Exchange is a largeish building, and the theatre can hold 399 people. The seats go from top to bottom, and there is a steep slope instead of stairs, and the seats are rather small and cramped. You have to make sure you have taken off your coat before going to sit down, otherwise you might hit the people around you.

Other than the cramped seating, the venue was lovely, and you had a clear view of the stage. The show started at 7:35 and the cast members both started on the stage, and others came down the aisle.

I won't spoil Chicago for those that have never seen the film or theatre production, but I will tell you that this version was great. I had to stop myself from singing along to songs such as "Cell Block Tango", Razzledazzle" and "Mr Cellophane", to name but a few of the songs.

The characters Roxie Hart, Amos, Velma Kelly, Matron "Mama" Morton, and Billy Flynn, were cast beautifully. Lu Harris who was cast as Roxie had a sweet voice, and looked like an angel, whilst Debbie Longley who was cast as Velma Kelly looked devious. Her looks were similar to Catherine Zeta Jones from the motion picture version, and she was able to project the sass of the character. Andy Brown who played Billy Flynn was charming and witty and performed "We Both Reached For the Gun" perfectly. Neri Zaccardelli who played Mama was one of my favourites. I love her character in the production, and I can't see anyone better for the role as she was perfect. Lastly was Glen Whitmore, who played Amos. What can I say about this performance? He tugged my heartstrings, and I just wanted to put him in my pocket and tell him it will all be alright. His little shuffle off the stage showed how pathetic his character is in the show. His excitement was unmatched when it came to the "I'm a father" and the hilarious court scene was just perfect.

Unfortunately it was only shown for three days, however I will highly recommend going to see your local productions, as you get to see how passionate they are, and sometimes they can be better than West End shows. Also, these are everyday people, and you can go home knowing you have supported your local talent.

I will be going to more productions in the future, and I look forward to seeing more wonderful talented people and what they have to show.