"Chicago." Most people are more familiar with the Oscar-winning film version of the story than the Tony-winning stage version of the musical. Now, obviously, you should not judge a book by its movie and you should not judge a musical by its movie either. It would be foolish to compare the stage production and the film version of "Chicago" because they are extremely different in directional approach. Regardless, though, "Chicago" does tell a story that has become familiar in the popular consciousness.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with "Chicago" and its movie adaptation, it is based on a play of the same name. The story is a satire on corruption in the justice system, specifically the administration of criminal justice, and the concept of a "celebrity criminal." It takes place in 1920's Chicago. The show follows Roxie Hart (Christie Brinkley), who has been arrested for killing the man with whom she had an affair. She is sent to the women's block in Cook County Jail, where other murderesses reside. The block is presided over by corrupt Matron "Mama" Morton (Carol Woods), who helps Velma Kelly (Amra-Faye Wright), another murdress, become a media sensation for the "top murder-of-the-week." Roxie hires Billy Flynn (John O'Hurley), a lawyer with a perfect track record who makes celebrities of his clients to sway public opinion, and the race to avoid the death penalty and gain celebrity status is on.

The original production of “Chicago: The Musical” premiered on Broadway in 1975 and the 1996 Broadway revival is currently the longest running musical revival and 5th longest running Broadway show in history. With a strong reputation like that, it's hard not to walk into the theatre without some level of expectation.

Perhaps that would be the downfall of this touring production.

The show was off to a good start, beginning with the sizzling "All That Jazz." And then it was downhill from there.

The main cast's performance was not up to par. Brinkley, the headliner of the show as Roxie Hart, failed to impress in all three skills required for a musical, but especially a show like "Chicago": acting, singing, and dancing. Her co-star Wright (Velma Kelly) certainly had the ability to carry a few numbers such as "I Can't Do It Alone" and was considerably better at dancing than Brinkley, but unfortunately Wright was not able to maintain the energy she had displayed in the opening number for the duration of the show. The rest of the main cast members' performances, with the exception of R. Lowe as Mary Sunshine and Woods' Mama Morton, were unimpressive. While the main characters are written to be larger than life, they were mostly played out as one-note caricatures, which made for a streamline of very unlikable and uninteresting characters. While the audience is not meant to feel particularly sympathetic to the characters in the first place, it's not supposed to detest them either.

I have never seen a stage production of "Chicago" before, but I have listened to the Original Revival Cast Recording many times and knew a good chunk of the choreography for several numbers in the show. Perhaps that was a contributing factor to my extreme disappointment with this touring production because I noticed both the change in tempo and the change in choreography. The tempo of certain numbers was slowed down, which obviously gave way to a loss of spark in choreography and bounce in the music itself. And in several numbers, primarily "Roxie" and "Hot Honey Rag," the choreography was altered to simpler, and much less engaging, steps with arm waving (clearly for the less dance-inclined members of the show). Considering "Chicago" is a dance-heavy show and known for its Fosse-inspired choreography, you can imagine my disappointment.

But while this production had its issues, it still had some good aspects: 15 of them, to be exact (which is the number of ensemble members in the show).

The ensemble was strong. For a show with many difficult and complicated Fosse moves, it is absolutely essential that the ensemble be able to perform each number to a T. The ensemble did just that, nailing each beautiful tableau Fosse's choreography paints with smooth yet crisp moves. Additionally, every harmony was hit perfectly. Numbers such as "We Both Reached For The Gun" and "Cell Block Tango" were energetic and fun to watch—all due to the ensemble.

Overall, though, I left the theatre in disappointment and shock. Given the leads were clearly cast for their names and not their abilities, watching this production was like watching a high school production that chose to spend its budget hiring a good orchestra. As a strong fan of the show that also knows its potential (a show does not win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for no reason), I would actually see the show again, but with a different cast. The musical itself: wonderful. This production: dump out the leads and put back the original choreography and we have a deal.

Reach staff contributor Liffany here.