Picture courtesy of http://www.ticketcharge.com.my

On Sunday the 4th of November, I was dreading yet another boring week with days filled with classes and nights brimming with assignment readings. But this time I was wrong. I came across the Chicago the Musical ad and suddenly I felt a huge pang of regret consuming me for not going to see the show. So, ignoring all reasoning in me arguing that I cannot afford a ticket, I dialed the Ticket Charge hot line and finally, finally booked myself a ticket.

On Tuesday I rushed home from class to doll up and off I went!

Because I had never been to the KL Convention Center before, I departed early, only to find myself arriving almost two hours before show time.

On my way to the Convention Center, somewhere along the tunnel, there was a very,very long queue of people lining up and after a little kepoh-ing I think it was an appearance by the Click 5 in Tower Records, because a bunch of teenage girls were holding up their posters and screaming at the shop.

But being so full of excitement and enthusiasm, I did not stop to see if I could manage a glimpse of the band.

Fastforward to 8p.m. and there I was standing outside the hall along with the crowd. There were 3 lines of people buying Chicago merchandise, including t-shirts and program books.

Finally, I found my hall and seat, and settled in (barely, though, for I was almost trembling with excitement). I half-expected the show to begin an hour late, but about 15 minutes after I was seated, the lights went dim and the band took their places. Then the conductor lifted his hand.

The moment the band began playing the familiar and trademark “All That Jazz” of Chicago, I was instantly smitten. I knew my money was even better than well-spent.

As Velma took the stage with the famous black bob, the crowd clapped, but the applause died off as soon as it came as nobody wanted to miss out on a single line Velma was singing.

But applause was not something to be missed, because, from the moment the last scene ended to the very last person (the conductor, that is) took his final bow, the clapping got louder and louder and did not fade off only until everyone finally left the stage.

And for good reasons.

If you have watched the movie, staring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellwenger and Richard Gere, you would be able to understand the effort it took to make a simple stage play with such minimal props look convincing and be entertaining at the same time.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the show was the singing. Every single person in the cast could sing, and I mean SING. Their voices could be low and sultry one minute, and the very next they could hit a high, powerful, note that seemed to last for a minute. I don’t know how to describe it effectively because I have never been a musically-inclined person, but if I say I found myself thinking why these people didn’t audition and win American Idol, then you would understand. It was so amazing that halfway through I began to wonder if there were any microphone or such effects used, but let us not assume anything.

The dancing was well choreographed, although at certain parts it had less fancy footwork than that in the movie. But given the limitations in space and editing, I would say that the dancing was a job well done. Costume changes were left to a minimal, with only about 2 or 3 changes as far as I could see (my seat was in the highest up tier) for Velma and Roxy, and with the rest of the cast interchanging roles and maintaining the same costumes throughout the show. Yet, despite this, you would still be convinced by each person playing his/her role, and the reporter wearing leggings and a sequinned shift dress was still a reporter and not a cabaret dancer.

The stage setup, as I mentioned, was kept the same throughout the entire show. There was a short flight of stairs in the middle of the stage, descending from a platform above where the band was positioned, and directly beneath that platform, on both the left and right of the stairs, were bars setup to look like cell doors.
Halfway through the performance only did the audience realize that each step of the stairs was lined with a row of light bulbs, so at certain times when the character placed a foot on one step, it lit up, and everyone gasped in awe.
The people in the audience were certainly captivated that night, for there were even moments of complete silence where everyone held their breath in suspension.

Even after the lights came back on, and everyone was filing out of the hall, I was still holding my breath. It was a night to remember forever.

I did not manage to get any photos because the rules stated “no cameras allowed”, and I, being the chicken I am, dared not defy authority for fear they would ban me from entering the venue (but now I know those fears were completely unwarranted for, because I spotted so many people snapping away in the hall).

I apologize if this review comes across as amateurish, but I am not a professional reviewer. So if you did not catch the jist from this artice, for those of you who missed the show, get your hands on the movie- it’s just as enjoyable (you’d never believe Catherine Zeta Jones had just given birth right before filming this movie). If you’ve already watched the movie, then watch it again, because we all need to feel like cabaret dancers and once in a while live life with All That Jazz ;).

EXCLUSIVE for Emmagem readers who did not catch the show! CIMB Bank and Yvents, the people who brought this show to us, are planning another one sometime in June 2008.
Our childhood fantasies and one of our favourite fairy tales– Beauty and the Best!
You’ve been warned, so mark your calenders and remember to book early to get the best seats!

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