Long-running revivals sell their history. 

Why visit and revisit a classic production if not to bask in its aged success? And yet, this air of historicity can be a doubled-edged sword slicing against certain material. 

Case in point: Chicago on Broadway. 

On all of my prior rendezvouses with the show, it felt — frankly — old.

And inert.

And creaky.

And dusty.

While aspects of Chicago have always been an intentional throwback, the execution still requires a level of youthful vitality, fighting against the encroaching grays of their fading primes. 

This spirit of fresh energy can be hard to maintain decade after decade…until a recent spruce-up refined and ratcheted up the kinetic physicality.

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Kate Baldwin and Robyn Hurder read as older than Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones…which adds tragic dimensions to their arcs. As their showgirl dreams tread closer to over-the-hill terrain, Chicago chronicles their last-ditch (murderous) efforts to achieve their desired fame and fortune.

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The revival’s history can be found offstage: the run has changed posters over the years, some of which line the walls throughout the Ambassador Theatre.