On Friday evening, as the sun went down and the thunderclaps subsided, the outdoor stage in the shadow of the Chateau de Wiltz hosted a packed and enthusiastic audience for the first of two evening productions of the hit Broadway musical, Chicago.

Performed in English by the Brno City Theatre of the Czech Republic, the production features an impressive 3-storey set which houses the 12-strong jazz orchestra and doubles up as cells in the jail as well as at the jazz club.

The production opened with a rousing rendition of All that Jazz and it didn't take long to learn that all the performers - actors and dancers - have superb jazz vocals, particularly the lead playing Roxie, a dancer who shoots her lover, tries to get her husband to admit to the killing but ends up in jail herself awaiting trial. There she meets Velma, another Vaudeville star who is also awaiting trial for murder, and they share the same lawyer.

It was "the show must go on" as, at times, torrential rain came down hard on the canopy, but the structure kept everyone dry and the performers continued as nothing was out of the ordinary.

After the intermission, the second act took up from where the first stopped, with the story reaching its conclusion and the choreography actually excelling that from the first act. The audience had their favourites, with Roxie and Velma closely followed by Roxie's husband who clearly earned the smypathy applause. The finale earned the cast a standing ovation.

Chicago is also being performed on Saturday 23 July, with the Queen tribute band Mercury closing the 64th Festival de Wiltz next week-end, 29 & 30 July. See www.festivalwiltz.lu for further details.

Photos by Geoff Thompson