LCN's 'Chicago' Brings Sex, Soul and Razzle Dazzle to Armstrong Stage

Hold onto your fedoras, Macomb, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart are sashaying their way onto a stage near you.

This weekend, is bringing its production of the electric and deliciously wicked musical, Chicago, to the John R. Armstrong Performing Arts Center for two must-see performances.

Take it from this reporter who has seen her fair share of high school musicals, there is nothing juvenile about this show’s song and dance. For those of you with fond memories of LCN’s last production, Beauty & The Beast, be warned, Chicago is no Disney fairytale.

"We wanted something a little bit darker, with great music and dance, yet with a strong message," said LCN choir director Evey Simon. "The 'Chicago the Musical' really speaks to the way we as a society glamorize individuals and behaviors that we know are unsavory. This show is especially relevant now in the onset of all the 'stars' of reality TV. The entire show is a slick illusion."

With the partial exception of smooth shyster Billy Flynn (Jacob Relph), the characters of this show are raw, vicious and delightfully debauched. If you don’t blush at least once in the first 10 minutes, you might need to check your pulse.

The show opens with the soulful strains of a trumpet on darkened stage, but don’t let this jazzy lullaby soothe you into a state of rest, the show has only just begun and there's lots of razzle dazzle to come.

The six merry murderesses, with Raven Roberston at Velma, thrill with their sinfully sung “Cell Block Tango” and you can’t help but crack a smile when Billy pulls the strings on Roxie (Lexa Crawford) during “We Both Reached for the Gun,” but (all puns intended) it's positively criminal the way tabloid columnist Mary Sunshine steals the first act with "A Little Bit of Good.”

Without giving too much away about this character’s performance, I’ll just say this: HE (Mathew Porter) has a lot of nerve.

Grab an aisle seat on the left side of the auditorium if you can.

Although Simon also describes the production as an "old-fashioned variety show," be advised, the show does contain enough references to sex, violence and booze to be worthy of a PG 13 rating.

It's colorful, provacative, comical and of course ... all that jazz.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the John R. Armstrong Performing Arts Center, 24600 F. V. Pankow Boulevard, in Clinton Township.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and are available at the JAPAC box office, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and 30 minutes before show time, or by calling 586-783-6520.