Veteran cast keeps 'Chicago' revival kicking

Those merry 1920s murderers Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are back to slay 'em again in the hit Broadway musical revival of “Chicago,” which returns to its namesake town at the Oriental Theatre through Sunday, June 12.

It's only been two years since “Chicago” last played Chicago, coincidentally at the same theater with the same headlining celebrity John O'Hurley (“Seinfeld,” “Dancing with the Stars”). So is it worthwhile to catch what is now the longest-running revival in Broadway history upon its umpteenth return?

That depends, since the show's sarcastically pessimistic plot exploring how notorious criminals can become huge celebrities still remains very relevant.

And like Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic 1920s comedy “The Front Page” (now at TimeLine Theatre), “Chicago's” roots stretch back to actual Windy City journalistic history. Reporter-turned-playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins' 1926 play of the same name inspired this classic 1975 musical by the late director/choreographer Bob Fosse with songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb. So if you claim to love all things Chicago, then you have no excuse for missing “Chicago.”

But for those who have caught “Chicago” before, everything inevitably becomes a compare-and-contrast exercise between previous performers who might have been starrier, slinkier or stronger. Not everyone in this veteran-heavy touring cast under Scott Faris' direction lives up to past memories, though they're all more than competent to get the job done.

Silver fox O'Hurley brings plenty of cockiness and star charisma to the slick lawyer Billy Flynn, though his comic arch leading-man delivery of his lines could stand a tad more modulation now and then.

Ron Orbach affectionately returns to his 1998 Jeff Award-winning role as Roxie's cuckolded and schlubby hubby Amos, while Roz Ryan knows how to get the audience eating out of her hand with just the tiniest bluesy vocal inflection as the wheeler-dealer jailer Matron “Mama” Morton.

Looking like a chic department-store mannequin come to life, Terra C. MacLeod commands the stage as the vaudevillian-turned-murderess Velma. MacLeod's comic ability to deliver withering glares amid all the show's amazing choreographic demands is a true pleasure (even if she is saddled with a black-bob wig that apes Catherine Zeta-Jones' hairdo in the 2002 Academy Award-winning film version).

Against these powerhouse performances, it's sad to report that Tracy Shayne's turn as the central killer Roxie emerges more like a shrinking violet. Shayne doesn't bring the same dancing strengths as other actresses I've seen tackle Roxie, and her physical comic chops aren't as spot on as they could be. But when it comes to Roxie's vulnerable side, Shayne is fine.

An extra campy comic oomph is also missing from opera veteran T.W. Smith as the pushover reporter Mary Sunshine. The surrounding ensemble could also be more crisp and precise in executing Ann Reinking's Fosse-inspired choreography (re-created by Gary Chryst for the tour).

Some theater fans might say it's time for this long-running “Chicago” production to retire, especially since it's not as startling as when it triumphantly reclaimed Broadway in 1996. But despite its age, “Chicago” still shows it has sharp and shapely legs to run on and on.

“Chicago”

★ ★ ★

<b>Location: </b>Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or <a href="http://www.broadwayinchicago.com" target="_blank">broadwayinchicago.com</a>

<b>Showtimes:</b> 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 10; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 12

<b>Running time: </b>2 hours, 30 minutes with intermission

<b>Tickets: </b>$30 to $95

<b>Parking: </b>Area garages

<b>Rating: </b>For adults; some harsh language, mature subject matter and scantily clad chorus