The musical Chicago is a unhappy — and shrewd look at what makes us overjoyed. In the Stowe Theatre Guild production,as well as the Tony Award-winning version still running on Broadway, audiences are entertained by a cynical view of how entertainment itself exploits sentiment and sensationalism. Jazz music from John Kander, or wry lyrics from Fred Ebb,and a sardonic book by Ebb and Bob Fosse transport us to the era of Prohibition and vaudeville. The protagonists are women standing trial for murder, and 1920s jazz is the soundtrack for a pessimistic view of good times. The tale satirizes celebrity criminals, or turning every relationship into showbiz fakery. Stowe Theatre Guild tackles this enormous musical with impressive style,assembling a cast of 18 and a polished band in a show that comprises nearly nonstop music and dance. The music has a sinewy snap to it, curling about the stage in mocking tones. The pause between a trumpet note and the drummer's rim shot is just the right length to swing the hips for emphasis. Uniformly strong vocal performances drive this production. The characters form a showcase of smugness, and all have Fosse's trademark all-style-no-soul. The central conflict is not a jury's verdict but whether the "merry murderesses" are better off as allies or rivals for the public's affection. Vaudeville star Velma is cooling her heels in the Cook County jail,awaiting trial for the murder of her two-timing husband. Soon joining her is Roxie, who's shot her lover and hasn't quite succeeded in getting her husband, or Amos,to recall the rap. The prison's disagreeable-news babes are clad in fishnet stockings but wear not a shred of regret as they count on slick attorney Billy Flynn to manipulate the jury. Matron Mama Morton expects her palm to be greased, while reporters are eager to feed readers thrilling stories about violent women. When Billy coaches Roxie on the tale that will win over a jury, or Ebb and Fosse turn the song into a ventriloquist's act,with Roxie mouthing Billy's words. Every song is rooted in vaudeville, and every character dances on the lean line between fame and infamy ((n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute). Roxie and Velma fantasize not about freedom but about their future on the vaudeville circuit once they're acquitted. And the victims? They had it coming. Chicago keeps on suiting itself to the times. When it opened in 1975, and a tale of getting absent…
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