Chicago

Amsterdam Theater and Chicago
Free food and old standards

A friend from Raleigh, North Carolina was in town to do some business. Lucky for me, his business is New York City tours including Broadway shows. So I tagged along to a free buffet dinner held in the lower lobby at the Amsterdam Theater. It is a really lovely space with beautiful murals and wood carved details that can only be found in some of the more classic, older theaters. Luckily we skipped the Mary Poppins show in lieu for Chicago tickets.

Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin are currently headlining Chicago with mixed results. Rinna, as Roxy Hart, surprised me with her singing and dancing abilities. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's acrobatic but she can at least seem rather flexible and agile as she goes through some lengthy choreography. She does seem to have a very strange upturned mouth resulting in a sort of Joker smile that is unsettling. Product of surgery? I couldn't be sure but the shiny red lips didn't help distract me to other thoughts. She did a nice job with the bouncy bubbly acting and energy required for such chewing gum fodder. Melissa Rae Mahon (Velma Kelly), subbing for Brenda Braxton, was perfectly chiseled and sinew to the point of mimicking a piece of jerky. Unfortunately she reigned in her dancing and seemed too loud when performing lines. Harry Hamlin (Billy Flynn) pretty much just shuffles about and moved his hands to simulate dancing. His acting even lacked any emotion or zest. Roz Ryan, as Mama, also phoned in her role, basically just standing in place and hoping her powerful diaphragm and gospel voice would hide her apathy for the role. The two highlights in the musical were the fun and engaging supporting cast along with the superb performance of as Rob Bartlett as Amos Hart. His performance of Mr. Cellophane was worth my time in the theater. So, the show will go one, new faces, new stages but I think it just might be time to retire this classic, at least 'til someone finds a way to breathe new life into the old ... and if someone can, they might want to traipse over the Chorus Line and do the same.