Chicago is back in London after a six-year absence - with a bona fide US star front and centre.
Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jnr. plays slick lawyer Bill Flynn in Kander and Ebb’s blackly comic tale of murderous molls and media frenzy in 1920s Chicago, which previously ran on the West End from 1997 to 2012.
He takes his place alongside Josefina Gabrielle as seasoned jailbird Velma Kelly and Sarah Soetaert as limelight-hungry newcomer Roxie Hart.
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Musical theatre icon Ruthie Henshall takes on the role of jailhouse matriarch Matron Mama Morton, making her the only actress to play all three of the musical's female leads on the West End.
If this all sounds right up your street, read on to find out how to get tickets:
How long is Cuba Gooding Jnr in the show?
Gooding will be playing Billy Flynn until 30 June. His replacement has not been revealed, but Marti Pellow, John Barrowman and Jerry Springer were among the famous faces who appeared as Flynn during the show’s previous 15-year West End run.
Where can I buy Chicago tickets?
Tickets can be bought online from ATG or over the phone directly from the Phoenix Theatre on 0844 871 7629. There is still some availability for Gooding’s run, and the show is expected to continue until at least October.
What are the critics saying?
Gooding’s performance as Billy Flynn - his first ever musical role - has naturally drawn plenty of attention from critics.
The Hollywood star “makes up for some fairly ordinary singing... with bags of charm”, says the Radio Times.
The Daily Telegraph agrees, saying that Gooding’s acting and dancing talents make up for his unspectacular vocals, and that he “gives a complete performance, showing a touch of the failed vaudevillian who knows his best days are behind him”.
Now more than 40 years old, “the show retains a classy edge and strong fundamentals”, says Time Out - mostly thanks to spirited performances from Soetaert and Gabrielle and a terrific on-stage band.
However, from a production standpoint, the revived 1990s staging is “starting to show its age”.
Indeed, this latest revival is “something of a time capsule”, says Broadway World, from the “once-shocking lingerie-led costuming” to the vintage Fosse choreography - “isolations, jazz hands and pelvic thrusts all present and correct”.
“There’s nothing particularly new or different about this production,” The Upcoming’s Jim Compton-Hall concedes. “But then there isn’t meant to be… Now London once again has a chance to see the beloved show the way it always was.”
