Chicago the Musical @ DPAC

My wife and I went to see this off-​Broadway première of Chicago only to be notified by flyers posted within DPAC that Christie Brinkley was sick and had left the production to recover back home in NY. Mildly disappointed is one thing I guess you could say. The production was as good as the original Broadway line… and even though the marquee name wasn’t present, I couldn’t help visualizing how it would’ve been different…

Growing up a Christie Brinkley fan, I was actually unsure she could sing and dance and didn’t want to see her fail, so I was actually a bit relieved when she was «sick». After seeing the performance, I was glad to have missed her because todays cast — especially Roxie — was fantastic! The music was great, the voices were wonderful and if there was any more talent in the room, they’d have had to kick the Durham Bulls out of the park and move over there. Really.
The simple scenery and black-​on-​black costumes were perfect. It was a prison folks, not a picnic in the park! And, the lack of color, flash and backdrops let the singers and dancers shine, which they did. Vera was too fun, Roxie stole the show and to be honest, I’d go again tomorrow if I had tickets.
Been to Grease on Broadway, saw Wicked and Hair at DPAC, Annie and several others in Kansas City — Chicago was the best thearte production I have seen, because of the sheer talent.

I love Chicago! When we arrived, we were slightly disappointed that Christie Brinkley wouldn’t be performing that night, but only because of name recognition. I really can’t imagine that she was any better than the actress who came in from Broadway, who absolutely made the show! Other people in our row (not with us) seemed very upset that Brinkley wasn’t performing and made a point of trying to be able to leave early if they weren’t happen with the production, but I’m not sure what they ended up deciding.
Thanks to Unilocal for our tickets! We were up in the balcony and had a great view of the whole stage and the sound was great. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the lack of costume changes left me wishing for more. But overall, it was a great show! I still have All That Jazz stuck in my head – three days later!

Chicago is one of my all time faves and I was incredibly PUMPED when Christina notified me of two available tickets. Even though Christy Brinkley did not perform, I have a feeling her understudy was even better– so funny, so full of energy and such a great performer. However, I really think Mr. Flynn stole the show – the number with the feathers was incredible, only to be bested by the puppeteer scene. Loved it! I also adored Mama – what a voice!
There were a few disappointments– I didn’t love the bare-​bones set and I definitely didn’t love the costumes. I was hoping for more of a true 1930s vibe, but I guess this is considered a «reinterpretation?» Not to be a total prude, but the dancer wearing only a bra and underwear was a little much.
All in all, a great performance. AND I got a Sugarland cupcake during intermission! Perfection! HUGE thank you’s to Unilocal,Christina and Kelly for being so incredible!

Thanks to Unilocal,I received a complementary pair of tickets to Chicago last night. One of my friends absolutely loves the movie, so along she came. She’s a musical aficionado, and, to quote her Facebook status, «Chicago was amazing!!!» I honestly had no idea what to expect, since I had never seen the movie. I actually confused the storyline with that of Moulin Rouge, so initially I was perplexed that the protagonist had no terminal illness.
Anyway, enough revelations about my own pop cultural ignorance. I was excited that the lead was to be played by Christie Brinkley, just because she’s a name that I know. Christie, however, was ill, so in her stead was Broadway actress Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart. My friend mentioned that she thought that Marroquin might actually be preferable, as she’s probably better trained for musical theater. I’ve never seen Brinkley sing or anything, but Marroquin was amazing! Seriously, at least to my untrained ear, I thought she did a fantastic job. Her expressiveness and movement, along with her singing, really rounded out the performance.
The rest of the musical was great as well. Obviously, even if you have never seen the movie, you’re likely to, at some point in your life, have heard some of the songs. The band was great, and the rest of the cast complemented Marroquin’s performance quite nicely I thought.
As to the venue, the only other time I’ve been to the DPAC (and I live practically across the street) was for Anthony Bourdain, so it was nice to see that the acoustics in the DPAC are good. It’s certainly a lot nicer than a lot of older Broadway theaters, save for their old-​world charm. Going in and finding our seats was easy, and there wasn’t much of a cattle herd, even when everyone was leaving.
Thanks again, Christina G. and the Triangle Unilocal crew for the tickets!

As a heterosexual male, there are two and exactly two reasons to go see Chicago. First, there is probably a female in your life who LOVES this musical, and she wants someone to go with her. Second, at some point, you are going to forget that female’s birthday. When you do, you’ll be glad to have banked some extra goodwill by taking her to an awesome play.
And here is the unexpected upside of going:
* There is a lot of jiggling.
* The story is fairly fast-​moving with no slow or weepy parts
* Murder, adultery, deceit and celebrity.
* DPAC seats are high enough for a refreshing nap before intermission.
Highly recommended. Because facebook doesn’t give you advance notifications of birthdays.

Grrrrrrrreat show, especially because of the Unilocal hook-​up, what, what?!
The music was phenomenal and although I was at first a little unimpressed with the simplicity of the set, they did some awesome things with lights and props. I was a little bummed we didn’t get to see Christy Brinkley, the actress who played Roxy was hilarious and really owned the role.
Overall, definitely worth it — even if you are paying! ;)

Chicago was a great show! Although I was really excited about seeing Christie Brinkley, and was slightly disappointed when I heard she was out, I thought her understudy was phenomenal! She really stole the show, she was hysterical and had so much energy. She had a great voice and was an amazing performer. Loved the role of Mama, amazing voice and also hysterical. I thought they did a fantastic job casting, Mr. Flynn and Amus were really great as well.
I was a little disappointed with the set, I thought they could have jazzed it up a bit, but they did a really good job with the props. The number with Mr. Flynn and the feathers was sensational.
I love seeing shows at DPAC, looking forward to more! Loved that I got a Sugarland Red Velvet cupcake at half time, perfect mid show treat! Thanks for hooking us up Unilocal

Thanks to a very patient (and newly appointed) Unilocal Intern, I got the tickets to see this show I have been waiting for since I was dazzled by Zeta-​Jones and Zellweger and Gere.
Even before I stepped into the show Wednesday night, I was already informed that Miss Christie Brinkley would not join the cast on stage due to personal issue, but her understudy filled in the role beautifully; I spent the night imagining how different would the show be had it been Ms. Brinkley.
The stage show is not much unlike the theatrical release; you still get the same raunchy humors and same silver tongue banter and same burlesque-​like dance numbers, and obviously the story plot hasn’t change either.
So, why am I feeling a bit disenchanted? Was it the fact that I expected more out of the stage production setup? Was I influenced by the seemly lackluster attendance in the audience? Or was it simply the shallow reason of not being able to see Christie perform on stage?
I brought a new friend with me to the show, and on the way I promised her it would be such an awesome show that she will be immediately hooked on Broadway, being the fact last night was her first attendance in a performance. At the end of the show, she gave a thumb up and told me she enjoyed it. I guess I have turned into a grumpy picky old man, that if I didn’t get two thumbs up I didn’t get my money worth (even though the show was free, provided by Unilocal?)

My first ever experience with Chicago was Tuesday night at the DPAC.
The DPAC stands as the best venue in the Triangle for musicals and plays. There is plenty of parking, especially when the Bulls aren’t in town the same night! All of the ushers are very approachable, and friendly. As I’ve said before, the food and drink can get a bit pricey ($ 7 for a plastic cup of wine), but I’m glad to have the option to eat Chick-​Fil-​A sandwiches or hot dogs if I am running late on the way from Raleigh.
Unfortunately, Christie Brinkley was sick for my show, so Bianca Marroquin was flown in from Broadway to perform as Roxie. The good news is that Bianca was the star of the show! I can’t imagine a better performance by another actor (even Christie).
Honestly, I was a little let down by the set designs (or lack thereof) compared to other musicals I have seen. Fortunately, the music, dancing, singing, acting, and some other surprises make up for it. Looking through the playbill, I as impressed by the cast’s experience on and off Broadway. It is impressive to be able to watch some scenes with only actors and actresses that have performed the same musical on Broadway.
The view from the balcony was great – I’m convinced there isn’t a bad seat in the house at the DPAC and I’ve sat pretty much everywhere.

And alllll thoooose jaaaazz hands!
Some wonderful numbers in this musical, with a lot of great voices and a fantastic orchestra to make them shine. The opening All That Jazz really set the tone, and Razzle Dazzle had some incredible partnering… so much on the stage during that piece, my eyes didn’t know where to look! Class was flawlessly delivered, and had a nice harmony too. We Both Reached for the Gun was just perfect!
That said, there were some disappointments for me. Though I Can’t Do it Alone is supposedly «an act of desperation,» I felt Wright (as Velma) lacked energy throughout it, and the choreo for the number was blah (no wonder Roxie wasn’t impressed!). Similarly, the closing numbers — Nowadays and Hot Honey Rag — felt lackluster, non-​splashy, and low-​energy. Kind of felt anti-​climactic, especially after such a strong opening number. Also, no Billy Flynn tap dance? Bummer!
As folks have mentioned here, Marroquin (in place of Christie Brinkley) does the Roxie role with ease, and certainly puts her own stamp on the character… great comedic timing, a little vamp, and a touch of girlishness. And I loved Wright as Velma — over-​the-​top and rough around the edges.
The nondescript set didn’t bother me at all. In fact, it’s exactly what I expected of this type of musical (very A Chorus Line). The costumes: did: bother me. They just looked so… polyester. Where were the feathered boas? The sequins? The fringe? Practically no costume changes throughout. And, I confess, it was hard for me not to giggle when the police officer, press, and jury kept appearing in black mesh! Although… I think we can all agree… the men’s pants were doing some amazing things for the buns!

This is one of the best shows ever!!!
Unlike many other musicals, it really has no «downtime» — the part where you start to yawn and check your watch. This one will keep you on your toes the whole time and you’ll leave wanting to be on Broadway…“Give ‘em the whole Razzle Dazzle”— and get to the DPAC!

I ‘ve been totally jazzed to see Chicago for weeks now — and was pretty excited to see Christie Brinkley as Roxie. But with Christie was sick, the role landed in the hands of Bianca Marroquin. After a bit of fretting over what to expect, the show started and we found out… Bianca was fantastic, really fantastic.
The whole show totally met expectations — the great songs, the amazing Broadway performance and dance, and the well-​placed humor. Even my skeptical husband enjoyed the show. But it was Bianca in the role of Roxie that really put the icing on the cake — she had great timing on the comedy bits, and perfect pitch on the songs — I left glad that we got to see her performance instead of Ms. Brinkley’s, because she seemed to fit the role so well.
This show is really about the songs, the performers and the musicians. There are almost no costume or set changes — and yet it’s one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen.
As Ron noted, the balcony seats were great and I was actually surprised at the excellent view we got from a place that seems so high before the lights dim and the show begins. For future shows, I’m glad I know!
If you can, go and see Chicago while it’s at DPAC. It will NOT disappoint!

Ahh, what can you say about Chicago but it’s a classic Broadway show filled with really memorable songs, lively banter and ripped dancers. Thanks to Unilocal for the tickets, our seats up in the balcony were fine and gave birds-​eye view of the show. The acoustics at DPAC are wonderful so nothing was missed from an audio perspective.
Having been to Chicago a couple of times before, I’m a bit critical. While this show had the usual great singing across the board, the sets were toned down and the delivery of a couple of songs (Cellblock Tango) was a bit off for me. And of course Ms. Brinkley never showed up for her role as Roxy, boo!
But you know, a Broadway show is like sex or pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good…