Chicago last night was a lot of fun. I had never been sure whether the staging of it on the tour, which I saw in Newcastle a while back (2003, I think), was a cut down version or whether it was like that on the West End stage. Well, I can confirm that it's staged identically. The band are on-stage the whole time and the action happens downstage of them. It's generally quite minimal staging and it fills the theatre delightfully. Plus, when some of the big jazz instrumental numbers get going, the band really SWING! It's a joy to watch.

Oh, and the stage is full of scantily clad women.

And men.

But mainly women.

I was a little dubious about the various reality-TV-talent-quest stars in the show - an X Factor contestant and a "How Do you Solve A Problem Like Maria" Maria. In fairness to all concerned, it was a really good rendition of the show, and I enjoyed Tony Hadley in the role of Billy Flynn - although he swallowed some of his dialogue, his delivery of the songs was great. Perhaps he could consider losing a bit of weight, it would bring him back some extra lung capacity and reduce the amount of sweating.

Note to self: I should do that too.

Was it weird going to the theatre with my ex-girlfriend, her parents, and her brothers (and their girlfriends), to the very theatre that almost exactly two years previously we'd visited on our first date? No, of course not. Who would ask such a question?