Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The cast commits to the period style with aplomb without ever wearing out the jokes or going too cartoonish in the small house. Rolfes is a marvel, down to every carefully calibrated quiver of her lower lip, but the supporting cast throughout is exceptional, from JT Nagle's clueless cuckold Amos Hart to Caroline Kidwell doing triple duty as smarmy assistant state's attorney Harrison, mentally unstable inmate Liz, and defiant "Go-to-Hell Kitty," an inmate who starts a fight with Roxie."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...As Roxie Hart, Chelsea Rolfes is pitch perfect. Using her considerable presence to own the stage, she gives a brassy, bawdy performance that is as deliciously nasty and spiteful as it is hysterical. In this she is equally matched by Jack Seijo's Billy Flynn (who also essays the bit part of Fred Casely). Spare a thought for poor put-upon Amos Hart; JT Nagle brings the perfect amount of earnestness and puppy-eyed mopishness to the ultimate sap without sacrificing the funny-I almost missed his silent banter with the district attorney in the courtroom scene until laughter from the audience to my left alerted me to the jesting taking place on the side."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...The actual title of the World Premiere that opened at Redtwist Theatre today is "Chicago: Queerly Adapted From The Play You've Never Heard of That Inspired the Musical, You Can't Get Away From", which is quite a mouthful. This play is written by Maurine Dallas Watkins and was adapted by Eileen Dixon and Dusty Brown. This is a queer adaptation of the original "ChicagO' that Watkins wrote back in 1926. The play is a satirical look at Chicago during the roaring 20's and has some of the characters that made "Chicago: The Musical" the hit that it was."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Redtwist Theatre continues their 21st Season, called “Defiant Femmes,” with the World Premiere of CHICAGO: Queerly Adapted From the Play You’ve Never Heard of That Inspired the Musical You Can’t Get Away From. Adapted with an eye and ear for the true, fast-paced Chicago Style of Comedy, this production is hilarious and exhilarating to boot. Penned by Redtwist’s Producing Artistic Director, Eileen Dixon, and Executive Director, Dusty Brown, all the unnecessary details from Maurine Dallas Watkins’ 1926 script have been trimmed away. The result is a perfect, streamlined show for 21st century audiences. Given the current political climate, everyone’s in need of a good laugh. And this fast-paced confection of comical caricatures is guaranteed to lift every theatergoer’s spirits and fill them with merriment."
MaraTapp.org
- Recommended
"...Who could have guessed that Chicago, the 1975 Broadway musical featuring the talented trifecta of Bob Fosse, John Kander and Fred Ebb, started as a 1926 play by a Chicago Tribune reporter. Then again, this is Chicago, a city where corruption is King and a good story is always worth telling and embellishing."
Allie and the After Party
- Recommended
"...No, not THAT Chicago. Taking a step back from the musical, Redtwist takes us back to the original 1926 play that inspired the musical. The play follows a similar story with familiar characters, however Redtwist has decided to amp up the campiness and slapstick comedy to make this a fun and queer version of the show."
