Review of CHICAGO

"'We could not have done it without you!'

This one line, said during the final dance number, reiterates just how brilliant the concept of Chicago is. It’s at this point we realize—if we haven’t already—that the entire show implicates us in the cycle of criminal celebrity that has enraptured American culture and made a mockery of the justice system for far too long now, simply by finding the entire spectacle entertaining. Musicals are known for their relative simplicity, but Chicago is one of the exceptions. Sure, it abandons any trace of subtlety to get its point across, but in its complete lack of ambiguity and total submersion into the pure theatricality of a cabaret performance, the whole thing begins to pack level upon level of irony to the point that we just give up and give in. And that’s just the play. The problem with many stage-to-screen adaptations is that the movie versions simply don’t accept cinematic possibilities and turn out rather bland. Chicago is one of the most successful stage-to-screen adaptations I’ve seen, thanks to the fact that it revels in the overtly theatrical elements of the show and truly adapts to the filmed medium instead of reluctantly accepting it. Consequently, the film achieves a brilliance of its own."

Mark's Full Review