Skip to main content

Review: Chicago // Crossroads Live


Get ready to experience All That Jazz in Crossroads Live's production of Chicago at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre! This delectable production is a stunning recreation of the world-renowned Bob Fosse's original show based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins. 

Every element of this production was cool and calculated, from the sultry costume design to the impressive lighting, the creative team has clearly worked hard to create this fantastic story. Most of this production is a recreation of the Broadway version giving Australia its very own slice of New York, and Crossroads Live's production lives up to the big white way. 

Technical elements were stunning, utilisng patterned lights to create the jail cell, visitors room, and murder the lighting design really helped the audience to understand the setting and place in this bare staged production. In terms of set design, it was minimal, all the action happened in front of a massive bandstand (where the band actually was!) and only utilised small props and the classic black chairs. 

The incomparable Anthony Warlow played the suave lawyer Billy Flynn with confidence and an insurmountable stage presence. Warlow is an extremely accomplished and seasoned professional and a true highlight of this production. Zoe Ventoura as Velma Kelly was hard-hitting and sassy as hell, Ventoura's rendition of the opening number, All That Jazz, was enough to have the audience whooping with thunderous applause. Lucy Maunder as the merry murderess Roxie Hart was impeccable, their manipulative acting had the audience in the palm of their hand the entire production, even till the last moment when the audience wanted her to get away with murder!

Peter Rowsthorn as the invisible man, Amos Hart, was loving and adorable. It was impossible to not fall in love with Rowsthorn's character as they portrayed Amos with heart and soul. Rounding out this production was Asabi Goodman as Matron 'Mama' Morton, Goodman is an incredible vocalist commanding the stage during the famous When You're Good to Mama which brought the entire house down. Goodman is an absolute star and we're excited to see where she goes!

Overall, Chicago is a fantastic night out in Brisbane City showcasing the best of the best when it comes to Australian theatre. Chicago runs until February 4th at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre before touring to Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide. Don't miss out on this stellar production, book your Brisbane tickets HERE


Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 28, 2024 at 2:14 PM

    Was a beautiful staging of this classic - completely agree with you! Sharon :) :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Haunting - Tugun Theatre Company

Written by Jake Goodall There is nothing better than heading to the theatre on a cold & rainy night to watch a gothic play about a haunting, and Tugun Theatre's recent production of The Haunting proved there is still a space for horror ghost plays in the world.  Based on the Charles Dickens Novel (and adapted by Hugh Janes), the story follows a young book dealer, David Filde, when he is employed by a former associate of his uncle to catalog a private library, he finds an incredible array of rare and antiquated books. But as a series of strange and unexplained events conspire to keep Filde from his work, he realises that if he is to convince his skeptical employer that the mysterious phenomena he is experiencing are real, they must journey together to the very edge of terror, and beyond. This reviewer was lucky to see the West End hit production The Women in Black recently at the Playhouse, QPAC which set the bar for horror ghost stories, and with the resources available to them...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Medea - Queensland Theatre

Written by Grace Wilson From little things, big things grow. It’s a saying that is so Australian and so rooted in our culture. It inspires and it gives hope. Everyone knows of this saying and the song attached to it, but never have we experienced a situation where this saying comes to mind. That is until  Queensland Theatre’s production of Medea by Anne-Louise Sarks and Kate Mulvaney, directed by Daniel Evans. This adaptation of this famous Greek tragedy focuses on the perspective of the two sons of Jason and Medea. In the original myth, we see little to no actual story from these two young boys - so to see an adaptation from a frankly inaccessible storyline in the traditional drama was a bold and incredibly smart choice. To truly appreciate the way the playwrights took this traditional myth and flipped it on its head, a knowledge of the actual myth was required because the subtleties of references could easily be missed. The play ranged from blatant acknowledgments of the traditio...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Freshblood Festival - Vena Cava

Written By Thor Morrison Upcoming creatives need a place to experiment, to prosper, to explore, and even to sometimes miss the mark. It is essential that spaces that allow this to happen exist, especially in a world obsessed with perfectionism. The Freshblood Festival is an annual event run by QUT Student Theatre Company Vena Cava, focused on young writers and performers, and it does just that. It provides a space for the new and upcoming creatives of Brisbane and surrounds to experiment, have fun, and create really exciting performances. Held at BackDock Arts in Fortitude Valley, and running over two consecutive weekends, it is a massive endeavour Vena Cava have given themselves. 14 independent shows, two play readings, and 8 music acts ensure that Freshblood has something for everyone to enjoy, and shows the variety and scale of the Festival itself. Drama Dispatch was able to attend most of the second weekend, seeing a total of seven shows and a play reading, and was greatly impresse...
Post a Comment
Read more