Chicago

Synopsis

There are plenty of musicals in the West End that have a long and vibrant history in the capital, but few can match the 80-plus years that define “Chicago”, which began as a play in the 1920s and eventually became a world-famous musical that is known by audiences far and wide. So whether you want to witness modern day musicals such as “Ghost the Musical” or wish to delve into the world of the celebrity criminal in the 1920s-set “Chicago”, the wealth of choice in the West End remains in place.

However, as of November 2011, London theatre audiences will now be heading to the Garrick Theatre to witness “Chicago” after it ended its run at the Cambridge Theatre in the preceding August.

But the show remains the same; set in Chicago in the 1920s the musical introduces us to a range of characters from lead Roxie Hart, her newfound friend Velma Kelly and the sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn. Hart is thrown behind bars at the beginning of the musical for the murder of her husband, placing her in the spotlight for reasons that she never anticipated. Kelly, meanwhile, murdered her betraying sister and landed herself behind bars as well. So when the two meet they form a friendship and also decide to follow their dreams of stardom, employing Billy Flynn in their bid for freedom.

The first time that audiences in the West End picked up theatre tickets to witness “Chicago” was in 1979 when it premiered at the Cambridge Theatre. This run was successful and it was eventually revived in 1997 at the Adelphi Theatre, before transferring to its original home of the Cambridge Theatre in 2004. This run continued until 2011 when it was replaced by “Matilda the Musical” and as a result found a new home in the Garrick Theatre.

But the story of “Chicago” goes back much further than that and has its origins as a play of the same name penned in 1926 by Chicago Tribune columnist Maurice Dallas Watkins. It was written during the peak of the celebrity criminal phenomenon and whilst such an appetite for criminal celebrities has faded, the influence of the show has not.

“Chicago” is at the Garrick Theatre (from Monday 7th November 2011) and will likely remain at said venue well into the future.

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Venue Information

Garrick Theatre
Charing Cross Road
London
WC2H 0HH
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Directions

Take the Northern or Piccadilly line to Leicester square station and exit onto Charing Cross Road. The theatre is approximately 2 minutes walk.

Seating Plan