Painting the Town of London

Only two weeks after I arrived in London, I was given the pleasure of attending a play that presents itself within the first few lines as "a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery." I knew right then and there that I would love Chicago: The Musical.
The best part about Chicago: The Musical was by far the musical part. My favorite number in the play was "He had it coming", a song about six murderesses in jail who each tell the story about how they murdered their husband because, well, he had it coming. One might expect this song to be a depressing one, but with the women's revealing costumes, sultry dance moves, and witty accounts of their murders (i.e. "He ran into my knife") the song was powerful, passionnate and intriguing to watch. I was impressed with the womens' realistic portrayal of anger and vengence and how the song rendered itself as both dark and comedic at the same time.
Particularly impressive was the character of Velma Kelly. I suppose she is meant to be the show's antagonist, as she is very manipulative and as I'm sure you can guess, is one of the murderesses. However, her presence is very powerful and I felt that the actress Sarah Soetaert did a fantastic job of portraying her in a way that was still somewhat likeable. Velma is a very persistent woman who thrives on acheiving fame and success and this was apparent in Soetaert's performance, thus making her my favorite actress in the play, although all the actors were amazing.
The one thing I wasn't very impressed with was the set design, only because it was the same throughout the entire play. I understand that the theatre is small and that there wasn't alot of room for set changes--especially with the orchestra positioned in the center of the stage--but I was a little confused about what was going on during some parts of the show. Having recently seen the movie Chicago, where there is obviously a different setting for the scenes in which the main character Roxie is in the bedroom, in the jail and in the courtroom, I found it easier to follow the plot and to understand what was happening. I wish that the director had tried a little harder to make it obvious to the audience where each scene that we were watching was supposed to be taking place.
To conclude, I would just like to point out that I'm choosing to write about this play now, not just because it's due in less than three hours and I am the world's biggest procrastinator. But also because two weeks into the program when I had gone to see the musical I was oblivious  to the elements of set design, character, plot, etc. and I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to say about the musical aside from the fact that I enjoyed it. Through this class, I have learned alot about these elements and I will probably never walk into a play again without critically evaluating it the way that I have for all of the plays that I have seen in London.
So I can honestly say--not just because I would like to get an A in this class--that I have learned alot throughout the semester, and I would like thank you Dr. Q. You have truly made my study abroad experience memorable.

--Shannon Okimoto
   UC Davis