A sultry spectacle of dance, drama, and jazz

The Broadway musical Chicago plans to captivate audiences in China with dazzling performances and sultry jazz. An upcoming tour, which will kick off in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, this October, will include visits to 11 cities, including Hangzhou, Suzhou, Xi'an and Chongqing, for a 70-show run.

Director and choreographer Bob Fosse first had a vision for Chicago in 1975, when he obtained the copyright to the book by Maurine Watkins, and joined forces with composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb to create the initial version of the musical.

The show ran for about 600 performances until 1979. It was revived on Broadway in 1996, and then a year later in the West End. The famous tale of love, murder and corruption holds the record for one of the longest-running shows on Broadway.

Set in 1920s Chicago, and based on real-life murders and trials, it follows Roxie Hart, a wannabe vaudeville star who murders her lover and is arrested. In jail, Hart meets her hero, the famed nightclub performer Velma Kelly, who is serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two in bed together. When they both land the same lawyer, tensions come to a head as they vie for the media spotlight.

Since 1996, the musical has toured 38 countries and has been performed more than 35,000 times, attracting some 34 million people. Honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy, it made its debut in China in 2018, visiting five cities, according to Yang Hongya, deputy general manager of One World Culture Communication, a Beijing-headquartered company, which is the organizer of the upcoming tour.

"The musical market in China is growing fast. When we brought the cast members over to take photos in Beijing, many fans recognized them," Yang said at the announcement for the tour on Aug 23. It will play 14 shows at Beijing's Century Theater from Nov 14 to 24.

"Although almost 30 years have passed since it was revived, it's still the one musical with everything: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you've ever seen," says Yang.

During the event in Beijing, the show's two leads: Sarah Soetaert, who plays murderess Roxie Hart, and Michelle Antrobus, who plays Velma Kelly, a successful nightclub and vaudeville performer, performed the finale, Hot Honey Rag, and sang My Own Best Friend.

"It's a combination of things that builds up. It's the choreography, the story, the music, and the dance that make people enjoy the performance," says Soetaert, who has been with the musical for about 20 years.

Despite being in the same show for such a long time, she is still excited about every performance. "It's a journey, you do the warm-up, the vocal, you see your colleagues, you get your costume on, makeup and there you are," she says. "By the time the curtain comes up, you are there because you want to be."

Antrobus is also a longtime cast member and has been with the musical for 17 years.

"The two characters are very different. Roxie is impulsive and driven, and dreams of being a vaudeville star, Velma is already a big star. Through all that rivalry, they realize that they need each other. They are very much the same, passionate and ambitious," says Antrobus.

"The two characters resonate with our female audience in particular," she adds.

"Everybody in the show has done it many, many times. They are highly experienced," says Tim Reed, the musical's touring manager, adding that the touring cast is a mix of international talent and local performers, which ensures that the production maintains high standards, while incorporating some local flair.

Reed was in China when the musical toured in 2018.

"The reception for Chicago was overwhelmingly positive. Audiences were drawn to the musical's timeless themes of ambition and crime, vibrant energy, dazzling costumes, and impeccable choreography. For this upcoming tour, we will stay true to its reputation for spectacle and sophistication," Reed says.