MANILA, Philippines - The actress who slithered in, with a sly look, set the tone for the play: “This is all about murder, adultery... and all other things near and dear to us...”
Ah, you have been warned. This is not going to be your usual feel-good musical. The subject matter is dark (like the stage design) but, as it turned out, it is treated lightly, tongue-in-cheek, with a fine sense of irony and a lot of outrageous overacting.
This, then, is Chicago the Musical by Fred Ebb and John Kander, ongoing at The Theatre of Solaire (call Concertus Manila at 0917-8279856), Parañaque City. The production is on a world tour, with Manila being the only Southeast Asian venue.
Chicago is all about Roxie Hart (Bianca Marroquin), a housewife and night club dancer who dreams of being a star in the big city during the Roaring Twenties. When her lover threatens to leave her, she kills him. She then hires a cynical lawyer (Jeff McCarthy) and overnight, thanks to media hype, becomes a sensation, a celebrity, incurring the envy of her cellmate Velma Kelly (Terra Macleod).
By the way, all the women here are man-killers — literally.
The first thing you notice about this production is that all — lead stars, supporting actors and the ensemble — are terrific dancers in addition to being good singers and actors. The production numbers come one after the other, and seem to be getting better all the time.
Choreography is an important part of the play. The lyrics help move the story along, and the music is a pleasure to listen to, whether you are a jazz fan or not.
Marroquin shines as the star, and Macleod is also in command of the situation, as she sings, dances and emotes effortlessly, seemingly.
The shenanigans of the lawyer who reinvents Roxie is someone we Filipinos can resonate to, even now, as we endure the lies and distortions of the truth of the lawyers and spokespersons of corrupt politicians, plunderers and scam artists.
Chicago succeeds as a satire on society, the administration of justice and media manipulation. All the different elements come together: The verve and energy of the cast, smart-ass dialogue, sprightly choreography and music you can relate to.
The musical play is actually more wicked than Wicked. It’s playing until Dec. 21. Catch it.
By the way, the next big show at this state-of-the-art venue is the classic musical Singing in the Rain.