Chicago: The Musical
By Keith Boykin, in theater
Friday, October 18 2002, 6:00AM
Last night I saw Taye Diggs in the Broadway version of Chicago. It is, of course, a story about "murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery--all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts." That's how the show begins.
Without a doubt, last night's performance of Chicago was the "blackest" show I've seen on the Great White Way. Fully a third of the cast members are black, including Taye Diggs, who plays superstar lawyer Billy Flynn, Deirdre Goodwin who stars as co-lead murderess Velma Kelly, and Roz Ryan who plays Matron "Mama" Morton. I loved Deirdre Goodwin, who brought energy and sex appeal to her role. Ryan was predictably good but not a show stopper, and Diggs was comfortable in both singing and dancing.
But it was Gregory Butler, who played Fred Casely, who kept my attention. Butler has the most perfectly chiseled body I've ever seen on stage! It's pure chocolate muscle. In fact, one of my friends noticed that almost all the black performers had amazing bodies, unlike many of the white performers.
With a bare bones set design, the show still manages to give plenty of razzle dazzle and moves by so quickly that you don't even realize the time is passing. It's a definite treat, and Taye Diggs will only be in it until November.
© Copyright 2002 by Keith Boykin.