Claire Marshall (center) and Cast Photo by Jeremy Daniel

In fact, when Chicago opened in 1975, it was not very well received. In spite of John Kander's lively 1920s-ish music, Fred Ebb's caustically witty lyrics, a solid book by Ebb and Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the show with his legendary finesse, and the presence of three huge stars–Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, and Jerry Orbach–reviews were stand-offish, awards stayed away (well, you can blame competitor A Chorus Line for that), and the show lasted just a couple of seasons, not exactly a flop but not a notable hit either.

What a difference twenty years made! With a change in the national temperament and perhaps a hunger for a full-blooded song and dance show that wore its sex appeal on its sleeve, in 1996, America seemed ready for this brand of cynical content and stylized presentation. A revival of Chicago, with scaled-back production values stemming from its origins as a City Center Encores! concert presentation hit, has been running ever since. At 11,497 performances (with time off for COVID) as of last Sunday, it is now the second longest running show in Broadway history. Along the way, it inspired a Best Picture Oscar-winning film adaptation. Not bad for a show that garnered shrugs its first time at bat.

Chicago is back on stage in Minneapolis, courtesy of the most recent national tour, and it sizzles with as much heat and verve as ever. The choreography–Fosse's original genius inspired the 1996 work of Ann Reinking, one of his muses, and recreated for this tour by Gregory Butler–is as sharp and seductive as ever. Fosse's signature moves, in which the twitch of a shoulder, the lift of an eyebrow, or the slash of a finger manages to rivet your attention, with ensemble work as precise as a Swiss watch, are alive and flourishing on the Orpheum stage.

The show is devised as a series of vaudeville routines, each showcasing one or two characters, usually aided and abetted by the ensemble. In this way, it creates the sense of everyone striving for their own moment of recognition under the bright glare of a corrupt and heartless system. This requires each of the principal actors to hold down a couple of big numbers. In this non-Equity cast, Ellie Roddy as the murderous wife with dreams of stardom, Roxie Hart, delivers in spades, pouring out her big numbers with a vibrant voice, swell dancing, and jazzed up energy, especially selling the goods in "Roxie" and "Me and My Baby," her cut-throat temperament softened only by a dose of self-pity.

Roxie's rival for post-prison stardom, Velma Kelly, is played by Claire Marshall, who delivers the sizzling opening number "All That Jazz." She then is featured with five other murderesses in the delectably louche "Cell Block Tango," and has a couple of numbers that emphasize movement over singing: "I Can't Do It Alone" and "When Velma Takes the Stand." In these, Marshall displays all the requisite talents and is an especially elegant dancer, though she never quite projects Velma's deep well of desperate egotism. She shines brightest when framed by others, as in "Cell Block Tango," sharing a farewell to the lost quality of "Class" with scheming prison warden, Matron "Mama" Morton (Illeana "Illy" Kirven), and sharing the double-feature final sequence, "Nowadays" and "Hot Honey Rag" with Roddy's Roxie.

Max Cervantes is perfect as Billy Flynn, the debonaire, unflappable, and entirely corrupt lawyer representing both Roxie and Velma, dishing out his flim-flam philosophy in "All I Care About" and "Razzle Dazzle" with panache. Marc Christopher wins the audience's love as Roxie's sad-sack husband Amos, and stops the show with the self-effacing "Mr. Cellophane." Kirven brings a different take to Mama's personality than I've seen before, confident and cunning, but with a laughing, laid-back demeanor. She totally sells the goods in "When You're Good to Mama." Sob-sister journalist Mary Sunshine, who can't resist a hard-luck case, is played with aplomb and a soaring voice by J. Clanton.

The onstage ten-member orchestra is an equal part of the equation in Chicago, churning out number after number with dazzling style, and delivering an especially sizzling Entr'acte, with Ralph Burns' orchestrations for the 1975 debut production still sounding like a million bucks. John Lee Beatty's set design is a simple affair: a platform for the orchestra that has them wrapped in a bandbox one could easily mistake for a jury box. William Ivey Long's costumes are variations of black dancewear that emphasize the physicality of the performers. Ken Billington's lighting design very effectively uses follow spotlights and hot shades of red, blue, and purple, while Scott Lehrer's sound design keeps the orchestra and vocals in perfect balance.

I had last seen a national touring company of Chicago when it passed through the Twin Cities in 2018, followed by Theater Latté Da's terrific homegrown production in 2019. It is easy to take the show for granted, still hanging around on Broadway after so many decades. This return engagement thrillingly restores the recognition that Chicago is a great achievement in the ranks of musical theatre, one that holds up well on repeat viewings.

In fact, it, regrettably, hits closer to home now than on prior occasions, given the light it casts upon a world where greed, celebrity, and scandal appear on the winning side of a struggle against decency and justice. As Velma and Mama wail, "What ever happened to class?" Well, at least for this week, there's a huge helping of it on stage at the Orpheum, where Chicago is pouring out first-class artistry. entertainment, and all that jazz.

Chicago runs through February 1, 2026, at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-339-7007 or visit hennepinarts.org. For information on t he tour, visit www.chicagoontour.com.

Music: John Kander; Lyrics: Fred Ebb; Book: Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins; Script Adaptation: David Thompson; Direction of the original New York production: Walter Bobbie, re-created by David Hyslop; Choreography for the original New York production: Ann Reinking, re-created by Gregory Butler; Original choreography for "Hot Honey Rag" by Bob Fosse; Scenic Design: John Lee Beatty; Costume Design: William Ivey Long; Associate Costume Designer: Donald Sanders; Lighting Design: Kate Billington; Sound Design: Scott Lehrer; Wig and Hair Design: Bernie Ardia; Make-up Designer: Justen M. Brosnan; Orchestrations: Ralph Burns; Vocal Arrangements: Rob Fisher; Dance Music Arrangements: Peter Howard; Supervising Music Director: Robert Billig; Music Director: Andy Chen; Associate Conductor: Chase Anderson; Music Coordinator: Cameron Blake Kinnear; Production Supervisor: Michael . Passaro; Production Stage Manager: Sofia Rose Itskovich; Casting: ARC, Patrick Maraville.

Cast: Tim Canali (Fred Casely/ensemble), Max Cervantes (Billy Flynn), Marc Christopher (Amos Hart), J. Clanton (Mary Sunshine), Teryn Cuozzo (swing), Josh England (Doctor/Jury/ensemble), Genevieve Hall (Mona/ensemble), Jared Houde (Bailiff/ensemble), Jaiden Jones (Juge/ensemble), Illeana "illy" Kirven (Matron "Mama" Thornton), Amy Knips (Go-to-Hell Kitty/ensemble), Lacey Kohn (Hunyak/ensemble), Serena Kozusko (swing), Helena Laing (Liz/ensemble), Claire Marshall (Velma Kelly), Ryan McInnes (swing), Michael Mottram (Sergeant Fogarty/ensemble), Chandler James Pettus (swing), Angelliz M. Rosado Ramos (June/ensemble), Ellie Roddy (Roxie Hart), Jake Siffert (Martin Harrison/ensemble), Anna Speer (Annie/ensemble), Nick Traficante (Aaron/ensemble).