prettyinpink

:) nice one,thanks for that

yes, i recall he was a judge- the girl who is from round my parts, high wycombe is in our free press every week...deprived area lol

link show-and-stay another great review.Ugly Betty just got hot. Chicago. It’s 1920 in a world full of lies, deceit and murder. You’d never know it’s actually 2011 in a theatre just behind the overly busy, rowdy Leister Square. But Walter Bobbie has directed the musical with such conviction that he manages to take the whole audience on a journey into the depths of prohibition America as Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly fight for their freedom. The story is quite simple. After Roxie Hart shoots the man she’s having an affair with behind her husband’s back, she finds herself in jail with the notorious Velma Kelly. In a bid to be found not guilty, both girls hire hard-hitting lawyer Billy Flynn to set them free and more importantly, make them famous. However, with the constant rivalry and demand for the headlines, both women will stop at nothing to make it to the top. After an impressive opening from the orchestra, All That Jazz is the first number of the night. Velma Kelly and her glamorous inmates take to the stage in a mass of black lace, bare flesh and bags of razzle dazzle, setting the tone for the rest of the show. The staging is simple yet effective. The all black set helps to create the dark and seedy mood the plot requires; the only hint of colour throughout was the flash of red across the ladies lips. From the jail cells, courtrooms and bedrooms, the set remains the same. No flamboyant stage changes or even costume changes were needed, or even wanted from the audience. The entire cast, which was a relatively small ensemble, never changed out of the same black provocative attire. The orchestra acted as the backdrop, with the conductor taking centre stage and even giving the audience the occasional cheeky grin. The musicians really were a highlight; the brass section in particular managed to snatch the limelight several times. The audience was eagerly waiting for the arrival of America Ferrara, having only played the role for a couple of weeks. And boy did she deliver. America brings a real innocence to the role, arguably more so than previous Roxies. Yes, the character is meant to be slightly naïve by nature, yet she still managed to bring a sultry vibe to the table. The Ugly Betty star was captivating, almost endearing, in her performance. With her Hollywood grin and clean-cut looks, she was in stark contrast to Amra-Faye Wright who played Velma Kelly brilliantly. With her lean physique, white-cropped hair and mind-blowing high kicks, the two leads couldn’t have been more different, yet equally out-standing. The biggest surprise of the night was Darius Campbell who brought bags of charm and the right amount of arrogance as Billy Flynn. He played the part with ease and sophistication. His solo, All I Care About was sung with authority and his last note was so powerful, it truly stamped his mark on the role. This guy meant business from the start. He’s come a very long way from the days of Pop Idol and his high-pitched version of Britney’s Baby One More Time. Gone is the ponytail and goaty beard, and in front of me stood an authoritative lead, in a sharp suit and ever-so shiny patent shoes. Stand out numbers were He Had It Coming thanks to its intensity and All That Jazz, which will always be synonymous with Chicago. Massive praise must go out to James Doherty and Jasana Ivir for their excellent portrayals of Amos Hart and Matron “Mama” Morton, respectively. They brought laughter and a lighthearted feel to the show. I’ve wanted to see Chicago for as long as those girls have been wearing suspenders and thankfully, it was definitely worth the wait. After seeing this, you won’t leave disappointed. Come on babe what are you waiting for, it’s time to enjoy some serious razzle dazzle.

wonderful reviews, theatre monkey especially - readig the comments about darius makes me so proud, i recall exchanging emails with theatre monkey when darius was in chicago at the adelphi, when i wrote a review and told them how good he was,and to see it themselves- they didnt review it back then. as for gaps in the theatre, lol - in my dreams darius would do les misrables,phantom..as i would like to see those musicals with him in

ah, that makes clear a tweet i saw from jenny gayner

hey isnt JB 47...not that it matters, just I am sad enough to hope these older west end stars get old pretty quick and leave some gaps B-) , one mans meat is anothers poison

lol, my oh keeps threatening me with tonights the night..he knows I cannot abide JB

tbh johnathon wilks is too sweet lookig to play bf - think i saw a poster of him in panto this year and he looks too sweet lol- agree his voice is so so- but then i find john barrowmans voice a nothing voice and he is really popular. i had a lot of time for tonys voice too-spandua ballet era especially,

i didnt hear it, someone tweeted about listening on lbc ipod, but it seemed to want me to register and pay popjustice tweeted 4 hours ago that there was a great interview on lbc with darius on..not sure why they tweeted that..

heres some trivia..Kara Diogarda was playing Roxie on broadway till 30th Oct..the same Kara who co wrote Kinda love with darius.... it says John Ohurly?billy flynn is contracted till 11th nov, wonder if that helped..or if she is doing another stint..small world

yup, now i see it - wonderful

ah, i wondered, i know banter is ribbing, but wasnt sure what she meant entirely

am i not seeing a new banner again..it is the same green one to me

:) that is great to hear reading tweets - jules knight from blake was there last night.

yup i was thinking perhaps the mondays off were to accomodate him flying back and forth - I do want so to go see the show, but tbh we are broke after the relatives visit from canada, and even at the half prices we are talking over £100 for the trip, oh says he wouldnt mind seeing the show again though - probably due to me showing him the skimpy costume photos lol

will they get over the britney thing...

yup, he did rectify the info pretty quick,

i read that one yesterday and ignored it, he said darius was good..but as we know unless you are huffing and bellowing you arent putting in the effort..darius plays billy as he should be, cool, calculated, manipulative..and as he doesnt need to struggle to do the vocals,dancing etc because he is a perfectionist and gets it spot on. he makes it look easy..which it isnt, always get those comments as you say,

wireimage link gettyimages link rexfeatures link there, i have done it for you thanks, clairabell, lovely pictures, good to see natasha and brian cox too I am loving the rexfeatures photo of Darius on his own,close up - love his expression,

tobyanstis Toby Anstis @ @karenmary74 hey babe. Chicago was amaaazin! Darius is superb and America Ferrera is a brilliant Roxie. I'll buz you. X 8 Nov Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

doesnt it make you smile when people ask..whats he been up to since....goes to show people just dont realise unless they follow someone.

i know, bless it must be such a confirmation of his talent - and we all know whatever he says is taken as boasting, so i totally understood how he slipped it in understated like...but it was the presenters who just didnt pull him up on it at all, unless he told them not to.. just on shows people are fawned over if they make broadway...though there is time yet, wouldnt that be so great! Darius on Broadway - I am so proud tbh, so imagine how he and his loved ones feel

thanks - love it, bless he didnt big up broadway did he..and the presenters didnt followup on that, any one else it would be a big deal...

what,when...i have been entertaining relatives from canada so havent been onliine...i had to blink hard icase i had misread the topic ..lol...

planning...lol, recording, writing..planning. just get it to me pronto please D