The incredible CHICAGO THE MUSICAL is on stage at the New Theatre in Cardiff this week and currently enjoying very enthusiastic South Wales audiences who are loving the show. Rather than go through the entire plot here, let me direct you to a couple of features we have running….
One of the central characters in this inspired by ‘true life events’ tale, is Amos hart, played by JAMIE BAUGHAN. Amos is the blindly loyal husband to Roxie. He’s also the sort of guy easily swayed into thinking one way by persuasion only to change his mind upon getting into another persuasion all over again. At the end of it all however, he’s a man hopelessly in love with his wife and will do anything to protect her.
Jamie has one of the most memorable numbers in the show ‘Mr Cellophane‘. Amos feels people can walk right through him without knowing he is there. It’s a very moving part of the show and one which garners much sympathy and love from the audience towards Amos. In fact, a lot of the audience we spoke to after the opening night said they just wanted to give him a great big ‘Cwtch’ (cuddle for those outside of Wales).
The real life Amos had every right to feel that way. The character Roxie Hart was based on Beulah Annan, who shot her lover dead in April 1924. Then she sat drinking cocktails and playing the record ‘Hula Lou‘ again and again before phoning her husband, Al. Mechanic Albert Annan was Beulah’s second husband; in spite of her bedroom shenanigans, he stood by her, funding her defence. The day after she was acquitted, she left him because he was “too slow” and filed for divorce claiming he had deserted her.
We sat down with Jamie to chat about Amos, the show, the real life story, and how great it is to be back on tour. But on a lovely hot South Wales afternoon, we of course had to start with the weather.
Jamie is no stranger to Cardiff, although it’s been a while. He was in the same role last time Chicago was in ton, ten years ago at the WMC. Since then he’s been in countless stage shows, The Wind in The Willows, Kinky Boots and Joking Apart to name three.
Interestingly, Jamie is a huge fan of Conan Doyle and a huge fan of Will Ferrell and John C Reilly. So imagine how chuffed he must have been filming with them in the movie ‘Holmes and Watson‘ for Columbia Pictures. By the way, in the movie Chicago it was John C Reilly who played Amos hart.
CHICAGO THE MUSICAL is at the New Theatre in Cardiff through to Saturday 25th June. Tuesday to Saturday performances are at 7:30pm with 2:30pm matinees Wednesday to Saturday. Tickets range from £19 to £260 if you fancy a box, with various concessions along the way. You can get your tickets NEW THEATRE.
