CHICAGO!
BY TONY FELTON

Brandon Victor Dixon

Now playing at the Ambassador Theater, back on Broadway, one of the most successful running musicals, Bob Fosse's 'CHICAGO,' starring Angelica Ross, Amra-Faye Wright, and Brandon Victor Dixon. Not only is 'CHICAGO' back, but live theater is back after the atrocious effects of Covid 19.
Have you ever had mulligan stew: some of everything is thrown into the pot, to give the assurance that something will please the taste buds. 'CHICAGO' is such a musical in need of that ONE main ingredient. Or more of this or more of that. It is filled with beautiful, long-legged women, handsome, muscle-skin-tight men, an interesting set (orchestra on the stage), good singing voices, and traditional Bob Fosse dance moves of gyrations that still tell them in Wichita Falls to keep one eye closed. The musical needs a BOOK.

 Amra-Faye Wright & Angelica Ross

The stage is full of eye-catching activity, sometimes too busy, with too many narratives running with unclarity of character or purpose. The very talented, Charity Angel Dawson. Was she a theatrical agent or a madame? ("I can make a phone call for $50."). I wasn't absolutely certain of her relationship with Amra-Faye Wright who delivers the iconic dance number, All That Jazz. Their duet, CLASS, was delightful. Stirring the pot, the musical begins with a jilted woman, killing her lover, disgusted with a lifeless husband. She needs a lawyer to keep her from being hanged. Enter amoral defense attorney, Billy Flynn, played by the incomparable, Brandon Victor Dixon, whose motto is: I don't care if you are guilty or innocent. Just give me my $5K. Billy Flynn is so arrogant, he boasts that if he had defended JESUS CHRIST, having gotten his $5K, things might have turned out differently. Entering on stage, surrounded by fan-dancing women, reminiscent of those Busby Berkeley, Florenz Ziegfeld days of glamour, Mr. Dixon, with perfect pitch singing, is the only character on stage with crystal clear clarity and purpose. Closely followed by the female protagonist, murderess, Roxie Hart, played by the capable, Angelica Ross.
But even with all of Broadway's musical ingredients for success, the production needs a better BOOK and pacing in the first act. Characters come on stage without absolute clarity and purpose. A one-man jury, playing multiple characters? Then why not introduce him as such? Moments of greatness, don't blink, had a, let's just throw them in the pot and see what happens. Having never seen the musical, were these moments originally there? At times, there were too many characters on stage doing different things, it lacked focus, or was chaos intended? Live theater is so in-your-face, one can literally reach and touch somebody's hand. The stage, with its tight design, was almost closter-phobic at times.
The BOO or BOK or OOK needed rewriting. Its lack of GOOD beef clarity and pacing cooked in was the difference between this version of 'CHICAGO', and its predecessors, from being great musical theater, and a good one. The STEW was good. It needed SALT.

MORE JOY PRODUCTIONS, LLC.

TONY FELTON

5:19

TONY FELTON

"DENZEL!"
BY TONY FELTON

"DENZEL!," an inebriated Whitley Gilbert, from the iconic television comedy, 'A Different World,' brilliantly played by Jasmine Guy, belts out. Brokenhearted because she believed that all had forsaken her on her birthday. She took to drink to drown out the sorrows, inviting only a portrait of Denzel Washington to her private party. Coincidence that I just happened to surf the channels and found this classic episode a few weeks before going to see DENZEL WASHINGTON in a revival of 'The Iceman Cometh' on Broadway? Coincidence that the driving narrative of the production centers around the inebriation of brokenhearted, sad, pathetic, band of misfits, who can only find the answer, a reason for living, in bottom pit liquid spirits? Playwright, Eugene O'Neill, thought it fit to drive this multi-narrative drama into three (3) hours of story telling. For indeed, he could have written at least seven (7) more plays with this multitudinous craft of words, words, words. Besides the theme of alcoholism there are prostitution, murder, fear, infidelity, racism, psychosis, and politics. No wonder it took three (3) hours to tell.
"DENZEL!," Ms. Gilbert bellows again. "Rock my world." She, too, believed that the answer to her problems was in him and alcohol. The cast of the production called him "Hickey!," their liberator, arms full of libations. But he came with more. He came to rock their world into reality. Foundation intact with heroics of personal on the wagon story telling. Mr. Washington is not an actor. He is a thespian. The play, along with the skilled direction of George C. Wolfe's crescendo, does not have the STAR immediately on stage or even soon. His arrival is anticipated with no one knowing when and what time. Does he come from stage left or right? On the second floor of the bar/rooming house like God? Was it in the original production of October, 1946, that he suddenly appears from the back of the theater house? Woe. How appropriate. Citing the phrase, 'I'mbackkkkk.' And then, thespian, Denzel Washington, commands the stage. He walked center, your eyes are center stage. Stage left, stage right, upstage, down, your eyes followed him. His voice is distinctive, robust. He teases us: he takes out a handkerchief to wipe his sweaty face, but oddly, he never does. Then finally, near the play's end, Mr. Wolfe gives the STAR a rather long winded soliloquy, downstage center. One could almost reach out and touch him.
"DENZEL!," Ms. Gilbert screams again until her, "This is a private party, right, baby?," is interrupted by well meaning friends. Hickey's friends are well meaning as well as they celebrate the birthday party of 'Harry Hope,' whose fear of getting run over by an automobile [two (2) cars per hour] keeps him chained to the rooming house and the bottles provided by his liberator. Hickey tries his best to convince Harry and the rest of the gang that the answer is not found in the bottle. No genie with three wishes. Stop procrastinating. Do it today! So that they, too, can be, like himself, a happy, freeman. Ironically, Hickey, the freeman, lands in jail and the lying drunkards return as the play began: getting drunk. Sleeping it off to wait for tomorrow to get drunk again. 1946. A dated play? No way. For as long as there remains alcohol in the world and people drinking it to smooth out the wrinkles, there will always be, Eugene O'Neill's, 'The Iceman Cometh.'

STILL!

BY TONY FELTON

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN? She does nothing but continually ‘ruin’ the perfect openings I have planned whenever I REVIEW her performances. The last time she did this to me was after her magnificent opening night engagement at the King’s Theater in Brooklyn, NY. Now once again, this time at NYC CENTER, she comes out to “IM COMING OUT,” and my mouth drops. No offense to any septuagenarian out there, but THIS WOMAN LOOKS TOO GOOD! Does she have some special water? Is she quoting PSALM 103 V. 5 every minute? Does she sleep twenty hours of the day? Her skin, a creamy beige, is flawless. Her body is full but packaged so nicely in tight sequined gowns. And that HAIR.
FOUR COSTUME CHANGES: TEAL, RED, BLACK AND AN ASTONISHING WHITE SEQUIN PIECE WITH OVER-SIZED SLEEVES; all with matching brilliant chiffon capes, she takes us back to the days when music was MUSIC. Ask yourselves, will people be listening to the music of today fifty years from now? I think not. With her merry band of seven and three background singers: Downtown' Gerry Brown-drums. CC Thomas-bass. Michael Sechrest-guitar. Ritchie Garcia-percussion. George Svetich-piano/keys. John Scarpulla-sax/baritone. 'Ozzie' Osvaldo Melendez-trombone. Fred White-backing voc. Valerie Pinkston-backing voc. Terelle Tipton-backing voc, and complemented by a large video screen behind them, she gives tribute to a plethora of magnificent artists she ‘grew up’ with. MOTOWN REIGNS SUPREME.
THE FANS: OMGOSH. I thought I was devoted. Preacher lady name Queen, came all the way from Dallas, Texas. There was one man from Denmark who had tickets for two more nights. But he was beaten out by a woman we videotaped who had tickets for ALL FIVE performances. She sobbed when she explained so emotionally why she had come to see DIANA ROSS. Inside, the most eclectic group of people I have ever witnessed: Black, White, young, up there in age, international, domestic, hardened New Yorkers who have seen Ross many times, know her songs, routines, and STILL react as if the flower had just bloomed.
HER SHOW: MANNNN. Just when you think you have her figured out, she throws in the only song written for her by Luther Vandross: IT’S HARD FOR ME TO SAY. That large video screen now projecting pictures of her from time past. She is fearless projecting images of herself when she was younger, slimmer. Musically trained, I am not, but her delivery had this slower pace to it that allowed her vocals to sound strong. Like fine wine that gets better with age; get out of here with those tired clichés. DIANA ROSS is STILL one magnificent display of passion like none other. STILL, to this day, setting the bar so high. She says, come UP because down is no place I want to be. STILL so inspiring, she has ‘forced’ me to use that word I have come to disdain because of its over usage: like she said to the audience, I now say to her: DIANA ROSS---YOU ARE AMAZING---STILL!

YOUTUBE VIDEO: DIANA ROSS FANS REACTION TO OPENING NIGHT.

TONY FELTON

TONY FELTON

(L-R) MACQUES THOMAS, VP OF CLUB ADAM, INC.

AND TONY FELTON, PRESIDENT.

CLICK TO ENJOY THE MUSIC!

VOICE OF THE HEART-

DIANA ROSS

BY TONY FELTON

Diana Ross appeared at New York's Pier 17 rooftop on Sunday, September 30th, 2018.

THAT VOICE!

BY TONY FELTON

Saturday, January 11, 2020, my BIRTHDAY, at the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., DIANA ROSS sang just for me. For real. Ask anyone who was there. She said, "WHERE IS TONY?" Haha. Ok, maybe I wasn't the TONY she was looking for, but, hey, why not me? Now tell me, how many septuagenarians performers do you know that are still singing, selling out concert halls, heading to tour Europe and adding shows? This woman is fearless and as sparkling as her wardrobe. She makes my head shake, accepting the truth that she is still DOING IT! And where did she get that VOICE from at this late stage in her remarkable career? Do I sound as if she can do no wrong? Far from it: the less said about that disastrous Pier 17 New York concert the better. But on this night, DIANA ROSS was truly SUPREME again. She looked great. She sounded great. More gratitude than attitude. And for a brief moment, Ross became 'human': "There are times," she said, "when I don't even want to turn on the news." She then proceeded to bring the world together by singing, 'Reach And Touch (Somebody's Hand).'

With a massive song catalog of which to choose from, why, for what reason, did she decide to sing, 'From The Voice Of The Heart'? I can only say, thank you, Ms. Ross! It is a beautiful song and she sang it so sweetly. Evoking a fan or as she likes to call us, "Friends," to sing with her. Accompanied by her background singers, her band, a D.C. choir, and the Kennedy Center Orchestra, DIANA ROSS proved, once again, that pure TALENT remains on this earth. She will be 76 in March. My head is still shaking.

TONY FELTON