Chicago, the highly popular, long-running American musical, is now at the Baltimore Hippodrome as the final show of the 2025 Broadway in Baltimore season. The musical offers a satirical look at fame, the justice system, and the power of the press, in this not-so-typical production where rules are bent and influence is everything.
Velma Kelly (Taylor Lane) and Roxie Hart (Ellie Roddy) are two women among a list that are introduced as murderers during the 1920s in Chicago, Illinois. Velma is a nightclub star who murdered her husband and sister. Roxie is a housewife, starving for attention, who stepped out on her husband and eventually murdered her lover. As the two vie for the spotlight, they seek the assistance of a slick lawyer named Billy Flynn (Connor Sullivan), who’s always willing to lend a hand as long as you have $5,000.
Men and women adorned in sheer and burlesque clothing conveyed to us that people would die and hearts would be broken. They didn’t lie. Velma’s husband, Charlie, was briefly introduced during a flashback and never seen again. Fred Casely (Brad Weatherford) fared better than Charlie, but again, was shared as an afterthought, after being shot and killed by Roxie. Then there’s her husband, Amos (Andrew Metzger), an awkward gent who’s nowhere near the same league as Roxie and gets treated like it. He often vents about being overlooked and not taken seriously, but his treatment never changes. The only constant variable in his life, for better or worse, is Roxie.
The production tells a far-out story using elements from vaudeville to slapstick. It’s hard to know what to expect since vague details were shared beforehand. Even the introductory characters spoke of things to come in a roundabout way, with random performances that didn’t explain much. It took the majority of the first act to truly put together everything that was happening.
The second half of the performance bore its strength, with a more focused storyline and applause-worthy performances. Although the finale was a bit underwhelming, performances like “Me and My Baby” and “Mister Cellophane” were great. First act performances like “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango” didn’t provide much to the overall story, but won over the audience regardless. “Class”, a duet between Matron “Mama” Morton (Illeana “illy” Kirven) and Velma, chastized the way people behaved in their time, lacking class as well as tact.
My favorite by far was Ellie Roddy. She “wows” as Roxie and makes her an easy character to embrace. Her singing and humor easily made her stand out amongst the long list of performers. Scenic design (John Lee Beatty) and costume design (William Ivey Long) were perfect.
Chicago gets a 7.5 out of 10. The Hippodrome Theatre is a great place to see a production. The ushers are always kind and helpful, and the environment is one fit for performance (and the acoustics are sublime). The seating is extremely tight, so be warned, but outside of that, it’s the best place to see a musical. Tickets are available HERE
Chicago will have a run at the Hippodrome from June 3-8.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Jeremy Daniel