I just saw it last night too, and I don't know what your friend is talking about. I really enjoyed him.
I didn't know who Joey Lawrence was before they announced his Chicago run, so I wasn't expecting much, but he really surprised me. The greatest thing about him was his fantastic stage presence and his general enthusiasm, which helpful him a lot since he's trying a role that has been done before by so many actors. His singing style is different but pleasurable. His whole character and the delivery of the lines were fantastic—they were fast and funny, and he was far from "going through the motions" ...you could tell he really is an actor, and he views this as a genuine character in a play, not just a part in a "show." He also added a lot of little dance moves for himself during "All I Care About" and "Razzle Dazzle," and I think the amount of fun he appeared to be having with the role transferred to the audience as well.
One tricky thing about Chicago is it lacks the same type of lavish spectacle, glitz, and awesome experience that tourists and others are guaranteed in other long-running shows. Actors run the risk of looking tired when stepping into such a well-established show that is so contingent on the talent and the enthusiasm of the performers. With Chicago, the actors have to serve as the Phantom's magically-appearing lair, the "Be Our Guest" fireworks, the proportionally giant garbage on the walls of the Winter Garden theater, the... um... I don't know... what's another example? ...those gaudy Mama Mia costumes... or the Lion King costumes, I guess. My point is that not just any performer can make Chicago the kind of boisterous night out that it should be. Joey Lawrence did it, and he stayed true to the framework.
I also have to disagree with your friend about Roxie and Velma. Bianca Marroquin is easily my favorite Roxie. She was the first I ever saw, and she has even won several awards for the role. She's played Roxie numerous times in New York, not to mention in Mexico and the U.S. tour, but she had a break from the role beginning this fall and just recently joined again after Bebe left, so it's not like she's tired or stale or anything. She's absolutely adorable with a beautiful voice, and her dancing is top-notch. She adds just enough of herself to the role to make it fresh and exciting without going overboard to skew the material. Her monologue is outstanding.
Brenda Braxton is a frequent Velma and a lot of fun to see. I believe she's been there for over a year now, with only a 6-week break or so this past winter. It's a fine part and I wouldn't mind seeing someone else do it for a change, but she's still a favorite. I particularly love her smoky voice and her sly looks. And she's funny too. Thanks to her gorgeous smile and her hilarious, understated ad-libs, she simply gets more laughs than any other Velma I've seen.
Now, moving on because I have a lot of time on my hands... for the past eight months or so, the supporting roles have been filled by my perfect triad of all three favorites, what I call "The Three R's" ...meaning Roz Ryan, Rob Bartlett, and R. Lowe in the roles of Mama Morton, Amos, and Mary Sunshine. "When You're Good To Mama," "A Little Bit of Good," and "Mister Cellophane" are already usually my favorite parts of the play anyway because you get to see three usually seasoned performers just come out, take hold of an empty stage without a lot of choreography or engineered razzle-dazzle, and just give the audience their number. These three never disappoint with their singing or their humor, and they win us (or, at least, me) over every time.
There have also been a few recent additions to the ever-changing ensemble to keep them fresh. I was there the night the uber-flexible Michael Cusumano joined at the end of March, and last night, a great new blonde Swing filled in as Annie. Her bio wasn't printed in the Playbill yet and I can't find my insert, but I remember her first name was Angel. I'll just say that Melissa Rae Mahon now has some competition in the beautiful, long legs-from-here-to-yowza contest. I could go on and on about how great each member of the company is (both when on stage and when I creep them out by recognizing them elsewhere), but I'm sure everyone has already stopped reading this never-ending post by now.
Since I started reading this board, I've noticed that a lot of people give Chicago a hard time, and I haven't quite figured out why. You resent that they occasionally allow non-theater personalities to play the roles, and you think all your work at summer theatre camp make you more deserving? You assume that just because it's run ten and a half years, it must be tired and worthy of closing? You genuinely don't like the material? You are bitter over it's continued success when your beloved Company is failing to draw in similar crowds? You had a bad experience with a cast member? Okay, I don't want this post to turn from a positive review to a negative rant, so I'll stop now. My point is that my friends all enjoy the cast, and my friend from last night and I both thought Joey did a great job. Anyway, I’m very sorry if someone had a bad experience with Huey Lewis (yes, I thought he might suddenly drop dead on stage) or Melanie Giffith (yes, I
hoped she might suddenly drop dead on stage), but the company is in fine form right now, so if you like the show in general, go see it now.
(P.S. Those "you" questions weren’t directed at anyone specifically... just in general to the people who like to put down Chicago on the board. I know muscle was only relaying opinions from his friend.)
"I just want a story and a few good songs that will take me away. I just want to be entertained. I mean, isn't that the point?"
