Chicago: Sunderland Empire

IT’S a sassy, sexy show which was born from a journalist’s own experiences of glamorous murderesses getting off in 1920s Chicago. This production is a pure cabaret of vice-fantasy. The big, brilliant, brassy band takes centre-stage, looming large over the nylon and mesh-clad figures of our glamorous jailbirds.

Roxie kills her lover and then lies her way back to her husband, the $5000 lawyer’s fee being a lot to raise in jail. Like fellow murderess Velma Kelly before her she becomes more enamoured with fame than freedom and sees her notoriety as a ticket to stardom.

Chicago has been touring for nine months, but the company, including the superb Hayley Tamaddon as Roxie Hart and charismatic, limelight thief John Partridge, as her slick defence lawyer Billy Flynn, retain a strong, skilful, crowd-pleasing energy. Mica Paris is superbly voiced as Matron "Mama" Morton, the prison officer whose care of the girls is relative to the size of their wallet.

But the jail and the courtroom, indeed any set, props, costumes or characters which would give a hint of reality are absent. The horizontal playing space in front of the band is very tight. Approaching the interval, the succession of great numbers in the same costumes, with barely a dynamic lighting change is in danger of becoming a little same-y, a victim of the bold concept. The first half comes alive, for Billy Flynn’s ‘All I Care About’, thanks to some killer feather fans. The second half has masses more razzle dazzle (and actual Razzle Dazzle – the score is stuffed with hit after hit).

* Runs until Saturday, December 3. Box Office: 0844-871-3022 or atgtickets.com/sunderland

Sarah Scott