I was thinking of going to see Chicago next Saturday, as I've not got round to seeing it before as the whole 'celebrity' in one of the roles doesn't do that for me! I was wondering is the show worth going to see and are the cast good??

And also has anyone got tickets from tkts before on the day and what were they like in terms of row/view?

Thanks,

Ollie.

See this earlier thread

http://www.whatsonstage.com/board/index.ph...=3118&st=30

There may be a few suprises!!

Everyone I have talked to about the new chicago cast are saying how good they all are.

I saw Chicago on Tuesday the 19th of August and got my ticket from last minute the day before (or maybe two days before) for half price. I got seat C5 in the stalls and it was a pretty good view. A bit side but not too bad for half price. So I'd try lastminute if they have a deal on.

As for the cast, they are superb! I was also glad not to have any celebritys in the cast as I think it kind of ruins the show. The current Velma and Roxie are fantastic and just make the show. The ensemble are great as is Mary Sunshine and Billy Flinn. I say it's a definite goer at the moment!

The Roxie you'd have seen is nolonger with the show (Sarah Soetaert) as she left on 31st August. The current Roxie is Kelly Price, but I have yet to hear anything about her in the role - but she's with Chicago until 25th October.

Anyone seen Kelly Price as Roxie?

last night,

Very tounge in cheek. I actually really enjoyed the show.

£10.00 stall ticket on lastminute.com!

its a gd cast, Kelly's a good Roxie, go watch the show!

Anyone know who is going to be Roxie after 25th October?

Suzanne Shaw is returning as Roxie

Don't be too sure!!!!

Is that some sort of pun?

Well I thought it was rather punny!


.

Really??

Anyone would be better than Kelly Price,seen most Roxie's over the years and didnt think anyone would be as bad as Birgitte but Kelly is even worse!

Crap. I've just this minute booked to see her. Crap.

(On the other hand, I've seen Ashlee Simpson as Roxie. After that, anything is tolerable. And Kelly Price has been reasonable in the four other roles I've seen her play so I'm fairly optimistic, although I do think she's far too young for the role.)

When are you going Matthew??

In twenty three hours.

Guest_Blue, you must be joking, Birgitte's a great Roxie... not your typical generic London Roxies! She was really fresh! Kelly, I didn't thought work, but she really made the role her own and enjoyed her as much! Not the best of Roxies, but definitely not the worst!

a great Roxie Birgitte?? your having a larf!!you need your eyes and ears testing mate!!

Do I need my eyes and ears tested also?
I thought Brigitte was also rather good as Roxie. Definately didn't play the role in a "standard" way but brought lots of new things to the role. Her dancing was good, and her acting also. Her singing was fine, though her voice is very unique and may not be to all tastes (much like Debbie Kurup).

'Blue', maybe you just saw her on a bad show, or YOU need your eyes and ears testing...

If you really think she is good I think you do need your eyes and ears testing!And sure I remember an Alex posting saying he had no interest of seeing her as Roxie was that this Alex?!
Adelle Young should be given the role ,she is miles better than Kelly Price and at least 100 times better than awful Birgitte!

Haha! Yes, it actually was me. I didn't have any intrest in seeing her originally but decided to go along anyway, and she did prove me wrong and delivered a fantastic performance.

I cannot agree more re: Adelle should've been given the lead. By a mile the best Roxie I've seen.

I'll be intrested to see who will be taking on the role after Kelly Price leaves. I'd rather like to see Josefina Gabrielle return for the umpteenth time, which would be entirely possible as she'll have left 'The 39 Steps'.

I understand that Josefina is joining the cast of "Betwixt"

Yes, she is. But it's only a one night charity performance.

That's a very exciting prospect!! I have seen several Roxie's and think Josefina is by far the best, she is stunning and very very funny. As far as I know she is only in Betwixt for the one performance isn't she?

I dont think she will be going back as soon as the end of October anyway from what she told me a few weeks ago,but will ask her at Betwixt next week!

Twenty four hours ago there were only two people I'd seen in five or more roles who have never disappointed me in any of the roles they've played. That's still true. Not every role is right for every person, and this is not the right role for Kelly Price. On the positive side, Rory Locke made a great Amos.

As for future Roxies, I'd like to see someone new. Josefina Gabrielle is the best Roxie I've ever seen but I first saw her play the character eight and a half years ago and I'd like to see if someone else can push her off the top spot.

I'd also like to see someone of an appropriate age. Roxie isn't supposed to be a fresh-faced cutie. This is a marvellous role for an actress in her mid-thirties and above and it annoys the hell out of me when she's played by someone barely out of her teens. It's creepy, considering that Roxie has been married for seven years. I think that every time a young Roxie is cast I should be legally entitled to stuff a badger into the person responsible.

Matthew-Thought you had a soft spot for Sarah Soetaert?
I thnk Jenny Gayner was an incredible Roxie and the next night I saw Josefina take over the role last May,she is a great Roxie which I think is universally known and Cameron Leigh was a really briilliant Roxie had that old movie star style and cant wait to see her as Lola in Imagine This.
For me all of the actresses that have played Roxie brought something a bit different to the role apart sadly from in my opinion Kelly Price, totally out of her depth and was the same in DSS when she fluffed lines the night I saw her as Roberta, dont want to be totally mean to her but it does amaze me how she keep's getting lead roles.

Oh that's sad but not really surprising, she can go back at any time. Out of interest, how did she tell you a few weeks ago? Do you know her or did you see 39 Steps and meet her afterwards? We went to see 39 Steps but couldn't find the stage door afterwards.

Agreed! I think it would take someone pretty special to knock Josefina off the top spot. I have to say (and I may be shot down for this) but in my opinion Suzanne Shaw was a good Roxie and did remind me of Joseinfa in a few places, the same kind of comedy element.

Saw Suzanne a few times,at first I wasnt that impressed but by her last week she was really excellent,like her Ice Sakting she improved week by week and like in that was a winner by the end!

I saw Suzanne Shaw twice and she improved greatly towards the end. The cast chage also helped as they were all brilliant.

In a manner of speaking; she came to my attention as one of the best dancers I'd ever seen outside of professional ballet companies and she's achieved more than I originally thought she was capable of. But I'm not one of those people who has to wrap himself in a fantasy in which everyone he likes is perfect for every role and never gives a bad performance. Although she did better as Roxie than I expected she was still a girl in her late twenties failing to look middle aged by a country mile.

She's not the only Roxie I've seen who's been in that position. Jo Gibb was even younger when she played Roxie at the Adelphi, and on tour Leyla Pellegrini looked like she was still at school. They both gave technically excellent performances in a role in which their age alone made them unconvincing. I've seen twenty four Roxies now, and only a handful have had both the talent and the age to be truly well-matched to the part. Some have fallen short on both counts.

As for me, I'm off to collect some badgers. I'm sure it won't be long till I need them.


I thought Kelly Price was very good in Desperately Seeking Susan and absolutely the right person for the part, but in Chicago she fails twice over for me: not only is she far too young for the story the show is trying to tell, but even setting the book aside and viewing her performance in isolation she just wasn't right for what she was doing.

Too much to think Ruthie Henshall could come back as Roxie?

Kelly's age wasn't right for the role, yes, but she brought a sort of cuteness/sexiness/freshness to the role which I did not expect or never seen in other Roxies. As I said, not the best Roxie but far from worst! Sometimes even age appropriate, one can still suck in the role... Frances Ruffelle/Brooke Shields proved to be quite possible!
I would really like Ruthie to return, but I don't think she will return. Just watching her do the Roxie monologue in the 10th Anniversary just made me wanna see her as Roxie SO much!
Matthew, I'm interested in which 24 Roxies u've seen and who are your top 3 Roxies! And I'm kinda jealous you saw Jo Gibb as Roxie!

In the order I first saw them:

Ruthie Henshall
Chita Rivera
Josefina Gabrielle
Denise Van Outen
Jane Fowler
Leyla Pellegrini
Jo Gibb
Emma Clifford
Anita Louise Combe
Frances Ruffelle
Cecilia Low
Rebecca Thornhill
Jennifer Ellison
Claire Taylor
Kathryn Dunn
Jill Halfpenny
Brooke Shields
Sally Ann Triplett
Linzi Hateley
Bonnie Langford
Cameron Leigh
Sarah Soetaert
Ashlee Simpson
Kelly Price

I don't know about the top three. Josefina Gabrielle is certainly top of the list but after that it gets rather meaningless to try to rank them in order. Ruthie Henshall, Linzi Hateley and Bonnie Langford are certainly in the running, and though I loathed Frances Ruffelle the first time I saw her in the part I really liked her when she returned a year and a half later.

There are also eighteen Velmas, of which Amra-Faye Wright is my favourite:

Ute Lemper
Valarie Pettiford
Anna-Jane Casey
Annette McLaughlin
Leigh Zimmerman
Amra-Faye Wright
Lisa Donmall
Tiffany Graves
Pia Douwes
Vanessa Leagh-Hicks
Anita Louise Combe
Kay Murphy
Rachel Stanley
Anna Montanaro
Charley Izabella King
Debbie Kurup
Natalie Edmunds
Rachel McDowall

You know what... I've actually seen most of the Velmas you've seen so I don't feel so bad now lol Surprised you haven't seen Nicola Hughes as Velma!
And GOD am I jealous of all those Roxies u've seen! Ruthie & Chita OMG! Jo Gibb, Emma Clifford & Cecilia Low... Roxies I wished I could've seen! And I wouldve LOVED to have seen Amy Field as Roxie as well!

Shame you missed two of the best Roxie's Adelle Young and Michelle Antrobus!and not many have sung it as well as Tina Arena either!

Can't agree more.
Michelle in particular on her final show was absolutely amazing (so much passion in her performance). So sad that she's now left the company.

Tina Arena (though being overall one of the possibly worse Roxie's I've seen - because lets face it her dancing was shit, and her acting rather bad.) is always pitch perfect and has such a gorgeous voice.

Matthew, You're so lucky to have seen so many brilliant casts in the show! I'm very jealous =)

No more news on the new principles yet?

Wow you have seen so many. If you have followed it so closely what do you think of some of the ensemble? I think this cast are one of the best.

Amy Field is the one person I really regret missing. Although I'd seen her before she went into Chicago it wasn't until after she'd left and appeared in Promises, Promises in Sheffield that she came to my attention. Her performance as Fran Kubelik was one of the highlights of 2006.


I think most of this ensemble are good. One is absolutely dreadful. The best ensemble I've seen remains the 2004/5 touring cast.

Cant say I am that keen on most of the current female ensemble to be honest,Oct 06-07 was great in my opinion,Jenny Gayner ,Hayley Newton ,Cameron Leigh ,Djalenga Scott-all wonderful,sorry but Vivien Carter,Lucy Anderson to name two are not in the same league in my opinion but the best thing about the ensemble for the last 3 years is the magnificent Lisa Norman!

That would be amazing!!!

I saw her when she played Roxie when it first opened in London but didn't really appreciated the moment.

I sooo wish I had!!

For me the 2003 ensemble was the best... with Amy Field/Zak Nemorin/Richard Roe, I LOVED that ensemble! But the current one is good too! Apart from 1-2 exceptions but in general, dance-wise, they're really good, though most of them can do with abit more American accent training!

We are talking about the best Felix, not the ones you most fancy!!

I do think they're the best! But to be fair, they're the ensemble I saw for the 1st 2 times I saw the show, so others I saw I base my judgement on this particular ensemble. And I have to say the ensemble after that... espeically during Brooke Shield's run was shamefully dull and boring... for me anyway! I don't mind if the ensemble's young, not TOO young, but as long as they're good, I don't really mind their age!

God dont know how you can think that. Saw the last cast and they looked lik it was such an effort. This cast are fantastic. I saw the first Chicago with Uta and Ruthie fantastic. I dont know why you chose Vivien Carter and Lucy Anderson as not being in any league, Lucy Anderson in my opiion was great, brilliant dancer. Vivien Carter I saw covering Velma and she will get better, but not the worst I have seen.

Wouldn´t it be great if Caroline O´connor came to play velma?

"miaow" which part were you turned down for?
I saw Ute, and have seen many performances since. This is one of the best ensembles i've seen, they all look as though they are having fun and want to be there. Very, very talented.