Claire Gallegos
@clairelizabethg
The play opens with the show’s signature number, “All That Jazz.” Velma Kelly, played by Daisy Barajas, hits the stage and leads the ensemble with ferocity in her step.
On Fri. Mar. 4, the Las Positas College Department of Theater Arts presented its rendition of Chicago, based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins and book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse.
Set in Chicago during the roaring twenties, spiteful mistress Roxie Hart murders her unfaithful lover and must scheme her way out of a death row sentencing. As she attempts to rein in her quirky, sad hubby to take the blame, her silver-tongued lawyer, Billy Flynn is wringing her out of every penny she’s worth. Strife arises between Roxie Hart and fellow “Merry Mistress” Velma Kelly, as the two begin competing for fame and headlines. Little do they know, they’d team up in a duo act later down the line.
The entire cast delivered outstanding performances. The orchestration was unblemished and set the entire feel for the audience. The play’s provoking, witty humor kept the audience bound.
The first act performances like “Cell Block Tango”, “We Both Reached for the Gun” and “When You’re Good to Mama” rooted the clever and risqué feel for the show. The energy on stage was contagious as the audience was able to get a feel for the characters’ charm.
Clean and even sometimes humorous costume changes were enough to shift the mood during scene transitions. With very minor errors in backdrop changes, the design was impressive and allowed the audience to easily follow the story line.
Along with the straightforward stage production, the simple yet sexy costume designs kept the focus on the real talent.
Actress Dulce Tovar fulfilled Matron “Mama” Morton’s strong role flawlessly with her even stronger vocals. Tovar dominated the stage as soon as she stepped out and continued to shine throughout the night.
As petite as they are, Daisy Barajas (Velma Kelly) and Mac Guerreiro (Roxie Hart) had no trouble owning the stage. Playing two very fierce female leads, they were both more than believable and engaging throughout their performances.
The act two performance of “Razzle Dazzle” practically blew the rest out of the water when it was topped off with an aerial silk dance. The overall talent that was shown throughout the night was incredible.
It was an authentic, genuine performance where everyone on stage looked more than thrilled to be a part of the production. The cast delivered a performance that exceeded all expectations and it’s a shame Chicago is only running for two weeks. Better catch them over the weekend before its too late.
