Chronicle Summer 2023

39 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Anastascia Lind, Livvy Hughes and Rose Nevile in the chorus line

It was a massive endeavour for Sam Munday-Webb, Lisa Elkins and Katrina Eden to transform the huge space of the Olivier Hall into a hubbub of criminals, lawyers and many characters somewhere in between in 1920s Illinois. With around a tenth of the pupil body involved, the show carried a huge ensemble of reporters and dancers: a stunning spectacle of energy and pure joy on the packed stage crowning the most famous moments of the show. Most clear from the first breakout of ‘All That Jazz’ as the opening number, however, was the truly superb cast of principals. Elise Rance gave Roxie Hart a winning mix of innocence and cynicism, biting wit and endearing naivete as she tries to get just punishment for the murder of her lover Fred Casely, played by Joseph Osei. At the same time, Roxie pursues the greatest publicity possible for her vaudeville career, enlisting the help of the smart, showbiz maestro Billy Flynn, played by Paddy Smith with a panache and commitment as flamboyant as it was captivating as he danced across the Olivier stage. Anya Firth, having breathtakingly opened the show with ‘All That Jazz’, made the rejected Velma Kelly into a vivid, spirited and boisterous singer of fantastic power. As a duo, Elise and Anya gave a thrilling version of the central contest in the musical, as their characters fight over something more important than life: fame.

Paddy Fletcher as Billy Flynn with Tildy De La Rosa and Rowan Campbell as dancers