Where’s all that jazz at in Wichita this weekend? Skip the trip to Family Video and find it at the Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre. This is the closing weekend for their run of Chicago. Although I’m a Broadway musical fanatic, if you’re a theater skeptic, this is a good starting point:

Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn’t going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. (via IMDB)

This musical journeyed from stage to screen in 2002 without losing any of its racy, comical magic. The movie version featured Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, and Richard Gere and picked up six Oscars. It hasn’t done too poorly on the stage either. Chicago ran for 936 performances when it opened in 1975, and since its 1996 Revival has housed audiences for over 5,000 shows.  It’s a big deal. You might even call it a show-business staple.

If Bob Fosse had started a religion and the tenets were jazz hands and sequined, sparkly costumes, I’d beg for a baptism.  It’s not the theatre or jazz without Fosse, and there is some impeccable dancing that serves as a tribute to him in this show.  The choreography is a product of the talented Sabrina Vasquez of WSU’s dance program.

So yes, you could technically rent this at Family Video, even drive to the one in Haysville for a scenic tour. BUT you can’t hear one of my favorite local actresses, Tara Tucker (Velma Kelly), belt “All that Jazz” down at the FV, now can you?  Alongside her is Barb Schoenhofer as Roxie Hart, who always plays a good seductress. Director Tom Frye does an excellent job of keeping these crazy ladies and this outrageous murder mystery in check.

So, gentlemen, here’s your chance to surprise your lady friend this weekend, showcase your vaudeville knowledge and enjoy a great show at the Crown Uptown.

(image credit)