Girl at the Rock Shows

Photo By: Jeremy Daniel

I needed a break by the time Tuesday night rolled around. My head and my heart have been consumed by everything happening here in Minneapolis, but I just needed to breathe. I needed a vacation. This is not because I want to turn a blind eye to what’s happening around me, but more because you can only take so much before you break, and I was nearing my breaking point. I needed a trip, and my choice for Tuesday night was to Chicago. Okay, I didn’t really go to Chicago. I just went to the beautiful Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, where Chicago was being performed.

Set in the Jazz Age (the 1920’s) in, you guessed it, Chicago, Chicago is a satirical piece on the corruption of criminal justice (fitting, huh?). It’s a musical full of memorable songs, some of the nicest legs you’ve ever seen, intense dancing and movement, humor, and pain. I honestly don’t recall ever seeing this musical growing up, or even checking out the 2002 film adaptation, but I knew the music, and that’s what had me super excited for this performance on Tuesday night. I was ready to be transfixed by a little “Razzle Dazzle” and to get lost in the humorous angst of “Cell Block Tango.” I was ready for jazz hands and dizzying movements.

What I wasn’t for was to be completely transported into another world. Don’t get me wrong, I know that is the whole idea of going to a musical, but just with everything happening here, I thought there was no way in hell that Chicago was going to transport me anywhere fully. I knew it would be an enjoyable performance, but felt there was no way it would take my head off everything happening outside the theatre doors. There were moments where a few moments throughout the performance where I couldn’t help but peek at my phone to see what fresh hell was awaiting on the other side of those doors, but, for the most part, the cast of Chicago did their job– they took me away and allowed me to breathe.

All of the performers in this musical were on point. From the subtle yet poignant angst that came with nearly everything Velma Kelly (performed by Claire Marshall) did to the extreme swing from innocence to manipulative murderer that we see in Roxie Hart (performed by Ellie Roddy), the performances were really on point. It wasn’t just the voices and the dancing, it was the way that the performers felt like the people they were portraying. Obviously, this is the point of a musical but I think it was just striking to see such a strong performance when there weren’t any costume changes and when the set design remained the same throughout the performance. It proved that these amazing and talented humans were just that– amazing and talented. They didn’t need the smoke and mirrors to give a good performance. All they needed was a receptive audience and a stage for them to transform into these storied characters and personas.

It’s typically hard to pick a standout performer in musicals. Everyone is oh so talented, and that is absolutely the case here, but it’s also very easy for me to pick a standout, and that was J. Clanton, who played Mary Sunshine. Although just a minor role in the musical (Mary Sunshine is a member of the press who is notoriously sympathetic– there’s more here, but you just have to know this storyline for it all to make sense, so I’ll leave it at that), J. Clanton’s performance was absolutely stunning. The vocal range of this human is unlike anything I have ever heard, and their way of fitting a more operatic style into a jazzy performance like this one actually fits surprisingly well. Maybe that’s how it is in the movie and original performance, I honestly don’t know, but I know that I was absolutely stunned by this small part of this beautiful play. There’s also a twist when it comes to J. Clanton towards the end of the performance. I’m not going to spoil it, but holy hell, it was jaws on the ground for the majority of the audience, quickly followed by a roar of applause and cheering.

As I mentioned, the set design of this performance wasn’t super intricate at first glance, but as you watched this musical, you realized just how much it shaped the way the night unfolded. Hidden doors seemed scattered throughout the tall, dark structure at the back of the stage where the band was. Not only did I love how this added some twists and turns throughout the performance, but I also loved how this kept the band on stage and in the spotlight throughout the night. It’s no surprise that I’m a music lady and that stays true even when watching a performance like this. Sure, the dancers were great, but it would have looked like a pretty silly event had they been up there without the band. Something about being able to watch the band make their magic while the dancers added their razzle-dazzle was just the cherry on top of this fantastic production.

Part of me wanted someone in the cast to say something about what’s happening here in the Twin Cities right now. It felt like a perfect time to fit an extra line into the song or a few words into the script, being that the storyline of Chicago is about how corrupt officials and the system could be. Those lines and words never came. Looking back on it, I realize that’s what made this night just what I needed. There was no mention of the unjust tragedies and unrest happening outside of those theatre doors. On Tuesday night, it was just me, other theatre lovers, and a stunning performance. It was the perfect escape that I needed.