Bev Sykes at the Davis Enterprise:
And now we have it right in our own back yard, with a sparkling production directed by John Ewing, choreographed by Pamela Lourentzos, and featuring a stellar cast — each one as good or better as the last one.
Amber Jean Moore is outstanding as Roxie Hart, a housewife with stars in her eyes, who shoots her lover and then tries to use her crime to launch a show-biz career.
Roxie’s crime steals the headlines from Velma Kelly (Jennie Ribadeneira), a once popular singer/dancer, now also languishing in prison for shooting her multi-married lover. Her exciting “All That Jazz” was the show’s opener and set the tone nicely for the rest of the show.
Tony Ruiz is marvelous as the smooth, charming, yet slick lawyer, Billy Flynn, who knows how to work the press and, for a price, make his clients such sympathetic figures that no jury would convict them. Billy’s “All I Care About,” performed with several chorus girls armed with fans that would do credit to Sally Rand, is a knock-out.
A ventriloquist number, “We Both Reached for the Gun” — with Roxie in Billy’s lap as he literally puts words into her mouth — is outstanding.
Andrea Eve Thorpe is by no means the large matron we associate with previous actresses playing the role of Matron “Mama” Morton, but instead of heft, Thorpe achieves her dominance with strength and a cold, forbidding wardrobe and severe hair style. The effect works well for her.
Amos Hart is Roxie’s all-but-forgotten husband, played beautifully by Dan Masden. There is a lot of heart in this Hart and his “Mr. Cellophane” was very moving, as he describes what it’s like to be invisible to the people in his life.
Jacob Montoya deserves applause for his role as the Master of Ceremonies. When Montoya mixed with dancers Michael Cesar, Elio Gutierrez and Randy Noriega, it was a sight to behold.
Mary Nares at the Sacramento Press:
The latest offering from the Davis Musical Theatre Company is an enthusiastic production of the blockbuster musical “Chicago.” At Friday’s opening night performance, DMTC handled the show with sufficient grit and guts to bring the tale of crime, celebrity and sensationalism in the Jazz Age alive with fun and razzmatazz.
...In the DMTC production, director John Ewing has brought all the excitement of the Broadway musical to the small stage.
...The play is riddled with flashy dance numbers as numerous and arresting as machine-gun bullets, and the dance troupe is skilled and sexy.
Both Ribadeniera and Moore have lots of vocal talent, although “All That Jazz” challenged Ribadeniera’s range on opening night, and “Funny Honey” didn’t have the power one would have wished from Moore. Thorpe’s solo “When You’re Good to Mama” was a showstopper, a fine showcase for her strong voice.
Ruiz plays Flynn with strength and style, and his tenor is smooth and easy as the slick lawyer’s patter to the press. Surrounded by feathery fan dancers, he almost convinces the audience that “All I Care About” is love.
Masden turns in a solid performance as the long-suffering patsy Amos Hart, and his “Mister Cellophane” was sad without being maudlin. Holmes brings a strong comic dimension to the slightly ridiculous Mary Sunshine role, with a unique performance of “A Little Bit of Good.”
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