Murder, music, and mayhem take center stage in Scintillating Sinners of Chicago, a homegrown rendition of the iconic Broadway musical, Chicago, that turns crime into cabaret. The play opens with the beautiful Velma Kelly (played by Rachel David) sashaying on stage. In dulcet tones, she encapsulates the sins of life in the timeless number All That Jazz. One would never know that moments before this performance, she had murdered her husband and sister in cold blood.
The next scene sees the pretty and unassuming Roxie Hart (played by Vandana Munjal) transform from helpless lass to calculating criminal when she kills her lover for rescinding on his promise to help her get on stage. The rest of the musical unfolds behind bars as Kelly and Hart become the poster girls of cunning criminals. The ringleader of this circus is sly, ambitious lawyer Billy Flynn (Reuben Israel), who spins implausible stories to have them acquitted. And tying it all together is jazz music, cabaret dance, and the hedonistic lifestyle associated with them.
Beneath the showmanship and gleeful performances runs a message of female empowerment. “We chose this musical because it talks about young and strong women who want to make a name for themselves on the stage of life and showcase the challenges life presents before them to achieve their dreams,” explain the producers of the play, and founding members of the Theatre for a Cause Trust (TFAC), Ritu R. Chandra, Vandana Munjal, and Radhika Bharat Ram.
The original play was written by Maurine Dallas Watkins in the 1920s, based on her observations of the criminal trials of female murderers, accused of killing their lovers or husbands. Most women were acquitted of their crimes, in keeping with the prevalent belief that attractive women shouldn’t be hanged to death. The press sensationalised their stories, and so was born the celebrity murderess.
TFAC brought it to Delhi to support the work of the Magic Bus India Foundation, which provides life skills education to underprivileged youth for employment.
Staging a musical of this calibre is an immense undertaking. The members of TFAC, however, have always been drawn to this medium. They blend live singing, choreographed dancing and acting to create immersive experiences. Instead of the actors donning all three hats, they divide up the roles between seasoned dance troupes and live singers on stage. In this play, the dances, choreographed by Bineet Kaur, and the music, arranged by Anushka Sharma, were phenomenal, which reduced the actors to playing second fiddle on stage. One hopes that future renditions will bring these aspects together more seamlessly. Fortunately, the show lives up to its promise of being thoroughly entertaining. The producers share, “Scintillating Sinners of Chicago isn’t just another stage production—we believe it’s a rare experience. English musicals are few and far between in India, especially in the North, and we are proud to bring this to audiences here.”
