• Submitted by: manso
• Arts and Culture
• 11 / 11 / 2010

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By Yuris Norido. The bet of Tony Díaz and his company Mephisto Theater for the musical is becoming increasingly more serious. If Huevos, Plácido and Cabaret could be assumed as works more or less committed to the genre, it is pretty obvious that in Chicago the group defines a steady line of work: great musical shows.

This is good news especially in a scenic environment where these sorts of shows do not abound. But it also constitutes an enormous challenge: that very same void, already chronic, has conspired against the formation of actors capable of assuming such demanding roles —they must act, dance and sing. On the other hand, there are no references. Musical shows often require further production work and hence resource.

The first two circumstances have been the Tony Diaz’s handicaps in previous stagings. He cannot solve them in Chicago. The cast effort is more than plausible, but the results, in most cases, barely reach functionality. The actors understand their characters and are up to their dramatic demands, but they have significant limitations when assuming a choreography or singing a song.

Please note that the play chosen is a classic of the genre: its subjects, though they appear to be very melodic and "easy", have considerable difficulty. The choreography was much better, as Master Iván Tenorio took into account the potential of the cast: his compositions are betting on the use of space and pantomime.

The fact of having a highly successful film producer reference becomes double-edged sword to Tony Diaz and his team, since the expectation level of the public has much to do with the popularity of the movie. The people necessarily wait for certain times and effects, believed inherent to the story. In most cases, the director comes through because stage solutions are creative without having to emulate with what has been seen in the movies. But at times —particularly in the execution of the innocent prisoners— a convincing effect is not achieved.

The director is right by developing a minimalist staging, which supports itself, rather than on the scenic resources, on lighting, costumes and choreography. With these three elements, it is possible to differentiate spaces of representation, so that the show dynamics are not affected by the change of scenery.

The narrative, however, omits things that could undoubtedly help to better understand what is happening, and in other passages, there is an excess of subplots (which involves the sexuality of the reporter, for example) that do nothing but overloading the plot line.

Chicago is a show enjoyable for musical fans, and for those who like "spectacular” stagings. It is performed on weekends at usual time.

Cubasi Translation Staff