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THEATER REVIEW OCT's juicy 'Chicago' a show to see Comment By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 1:59 PM By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 1:59 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Oregon Cabaret pulls out the stops with 'Chicago' • Quills & Queues: Peia Luzzi is an international musician with a local heart... • OSF's soaring 'Richard II' relevant to current political turmoil... • Backstage: Oregon Cabaret Theatre AD says storytelling entertains, educates, edifies... » Social News "Give 'em the old razzle dazzle, razzle dazzle 'em ...." — so go the famous lyrics as penned by Fred Ebb back in 1975, when John Kander and Ebb launched themselves irrevocably into Broadway history with their door-busting new musical, "Chicago." Director Trevor Biship is taking that lyrical advice seriously for Oregon Cabaret Theatre's new production of the storied Broadway favorite, which opened with a bang last Friday night, delivering, to a delighted audience, a string of highly recognizable show tunes that are as definitively crowd-pleasing as anything currently on offer in the Rogue Valley. Blasting off the opening moments of the show with "All That Jazz," a tightly choreographed ensemble let's us know what we're in for — a top-hat tilting, leggy, spangled and stratospheric good time that will likely continue to solidify OCT as the regional go-to for a fine night of musical theater. Biship and his choreographer, Katie Wackowski, have delivered a really fun and fresh take on an old classic, thanks in no small part to some very sharp casting decisions. The cornerstone players of the show are all in fine fettle as they take the spotlight, but it's the performances of the three main characters — Velma Kelly, Roxie Hart, and Billy Flynn — on which any good production of Chicago will hinge, and these three knock it out of the park like DiMaggio. As Velma Kelly, a raucous vaudevillian with a checkered past, Layla Kayhani does her character world-weary justice. In the opening moments of the show, Kayhani takes to the spotlight like a duck to water, rollicking sleekly through her numbers and showing her Velma to be a woman well-acquainted with the underbelly of 1920s Chicago. While Kayhani shines, the two most dazzling performances of the evening belonged to Deanne Ott as Roxie Hart and Galloway Stevens as Billy Flynn. Ott is sublime as the ditzy and deceptively decorous Roxie, whose secret capacity for avarice becomes all too apparent as she manipulates her clueless but adoring husband, Amos (played by Billy Breed) into various precarious situations as she is dragged off to jail for killing her lover. Stevens' Billy lights a match under Roxie's natural talent for playing to the crowd. The two of them are a hoot to watch. Ott, another New York actor in town to work this show, is a talented triple-threat who chews up the scenery with obvious glee. Stevens, a square-jawed Alpha male with a red hot stage presence, is perfectly cast as the limelight-enamored lawyer with a knack for re-branding the hapless ingénues on his all-female client list. Onstage chemistry between the two is authentic and believable; it doesn't hurt that both are as cute and talented as all get-out. Other standouts in the excellent cast included Breed, whose tragic clown has a Pagliacci-esque poignancy, and Tamara Marston as "Mama" Morton, the zaftig czarina of Cook County Jail. Redge Palmer, who out-mama's Mama Morton with his flamboyant take on gossip columnist Mary Sunshine, was terrific. Lina Lee, who (despite only being part of the ensemble) gave a noticeably acrobatic performance, showing up remarkably well all evening. And finally, Katie Beck — hereby anointed "Back-To-Back Beck" due to the awe-inducing fact that she was probably in rehearsal for her current role in "Chicago" while concurrently working one of the lead roles in OCT's last production, "9 to 5" — has to be the hardest working artist at the Cabaret this year. OCT has mounted a juicy and entertaining "Chicago" worthy of the musicals vaunted reputation; it's certainly a show worth seeing. "Chicago" by Kander and Ebb plays through Sept. 11 at Oregon Cabaret Theatre, 241 Hargadine St., Ashland. For details, call 541-488-2902 or go to theoregoncabaret.com . Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Daily Tidings columnist, arts reviewer and freelance writer. Email him at gillespie.jeffrey @gmail.com. By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 1:59 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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