Sexy, sassy tale of murder brings West End talent to your doorstep (From Stourbridge News)

Sexy, sassy tale of murder brings West End talent to your doorstep

4:33pm Monday 9th October 2006 in Theatre

Chicago,Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Thursday September 28.

As sexy as it is sassy, the Alexandra Theatre's production of West End smash-hit Chicago is not to be missed.

With production values as high as its London counterpart, this ballsy tale of murder, greed and adultery positively bursts at the seams with toe-tapping tunes and super-slick dance routines.

The show tells the kiss-and-tell story of nightclub dancer Roxie Hart who kills her lover and hires the services of corrupt but successful lawyer Billy Flynn to save her from the hangman's noose. He turns her into an overnight star in a town where murder is the fastest way to celebrity.

Former pop star and Brookside babe Jennifer Ellison is billed as the star attraction but it is Dawn Spence, who sets the bar incredibly high in the show's opening number All That Jazz, who oozes charisma as the murderess Velma Kelly - quite literally a femme fatale. Spence has a stunning singing voice and is a natural dancer blessed with perfect timing.

Ellison puts in a decent performance as Roxie and her dancing is excellent in Nowadays and Hot Honey Rag - she has really mastered the unique style of legendary choreographer Bob Fosse. Sadly her singing voice lets her down. It is noticeably weaker than her fellow performers and in Funny Honey she struggles with the song's range. But she impresses in We Both Reached for the Gun as the dummy to Billy Flynn's ventriloquist.

George Asprey is not quite suave enough to be the ultimate Billy but he pulls off his arrogance to a tee - particularly in Razzle Dazzle and All I Care About.

Former Emmerdale actor Dale Meeks shines as the put-upon Amos Hart. His performance is pefectly meek as invisible man' Amos sings his anthem Mister Cellophane.

Matron 'Mama' Morton played by Katy Secombe excels in her duet Class with Velma and her ballsy, comic performance in When You're Good to Mama is spot-on.

But this show is about much more than its characters. The ensemble of stunning dancers make the breath-takingly difficult routines look effortless - no doubt thanks to choreographer Ann Reinking. And the orchestration is perfectly executed by a note-perfect group of musicans.

Be sure to make space in your diary to sample this top-notch theatrical experience. Chicago runs until Saturday October 7.

Natalie Driver