Can We Talk 2

Chicago, the Musical

         I finally got around to watching the movie Chicago with Richard Gere. Loved it. My favorite song was Mr. Cellophane. I loved the guy who played Amos Hart; he was so pathetic and sympathetic. I was also fascinated by the puppet scene with Billy Flynn (Gere) as master puppeteer. So, I got excited when I realized a local theater group was staging it this month.

         This theater is in a small building north of town in Nowheresville. They call it Four County Players, and it's the oldest community theater in the center part of the state. I don't know if there's one older up north or to the east, but I doubt there's one south or west of here. It's been running 44 years with people from four counties. They don't even have a backstage for changing. I didn't like that there was no handicap entrance, and I took someone who walks with a cane. There were about 16 steps to get in and out.

         However, the price is right, and the show was great. One of the leading ladies has a masters in opera, but she failed to deliver more than the others. The dancing was not spectacular, but well-coordinated and entertaining. The men's voices were great in the chorus, but individually, they lacked that star quality. The puppet scene, which involved no puppets on stage, was superb. The movements were well-rehearsed. While Amos Hart wasn't as convincing as the movie version, that song still makes me sad to hear it.

         It was great fun. Lots of jokes and gestures that aren't in the movie could be done on stage. There's no editing, no re-shoots, etc., on stage either. Some differences are written into the script, of course, but the director has the freedom to tweak it. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and may become a sponsor of this theater.