Peter Rowsthorn plays the “hapless, gullible” Amos Hart, who is married to Chicago’s housewife, nightclub dancer and murderer Roxie Hart (Lucy Maunder).
The iconic musical, the longest-running American show on Broadway, is set against the decadence of the 1920s and is famous for its razzmatazz and a saucy score including hits such as “All that Jazz”, “Cell Block Tango” and “Razzle Dazzle”.
Rowsthorn, who was Kim’s husband Brett Craig in the comedy series Kath & Kim, is only on stage for about 12 minutes but gets to sing one of the biggest numbers of the show, “Mr Cellophane”, and he’s putting his own comedic stamp on it.
“It’s quite a popular song, sung in the movie by John C Reilly. He did this weird sort of puppetry, marionette thing that was very filmic. I just wear a pair of white gloves and I sway from side to side – it’s not very difficult,” Rowsthorn laughs.
“It’s a really good fun part and I’ve sort of loaded it up with quite a lot of pathos and have made him quite likeable and vulnerable as a character.
“So, if I hear the audience going, ‘aaahhh’, I know I’ve done the job. Because I can make people laugh, that’s okay. There’s some really nice laughs that are written into the script; it’s beautifully written. It’s just a matter of playing him in the right fashion, and away you go. So, it’s a matter of playing him invisible, but not making him invisible at the same time.”
Get set for some razzle dazzle with Chicago the Musical. Photo: Jeff Busby
Leading the cast alongside Lucy Maunder is musical theatre royalty Anthony Warlow, who plays cunning lawyer Billy Flynn; Zoë Ventoura as the glamorous Velma Kelly; Asabi Goodman as the sassy prison warden Matron “Mama” Morton; S Valeri as crime reporter Mary Sunshine, plus a talented group of ensemble performers and swings.
“Warlow has been amazing. He’s the same age as me so we’re like the two old guys on the balcony in The Muppets bagging all the young people,” Rowsthorn jokes.
“And he can sing – far out. I love being in rooms with people who can sing properly. He’s a world-class performer; he’s been on Broadway, so he’s no slouch.
“And the girls are just great, too. I think Zoë was probably in the biggest learning curve, given she’s done more television than that musical theatre world… it’s a big part and she does such a great job.
“Lucy just tops from musical to musical… she’s got complete musical theatre chops, as do all the ensemble; they are all great singers and super dancers. Some of them can’t act their way out of a paper bag but hey, that’s showbiz. They can’t all be triple threats like me!”
Musical theatre star Anthony Warlow on stage with Peter Rowsthorn. Photo: Jeff Busby
Chicago the Musical, featuring music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, tells the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her lover and then seizes the opportunity to transform the crime into sensational, star-making headline news.
This production opened in Perth last November and has played to rave reviews in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney before its Adelaide season opens in August.
Producer John Frost, for Crossroads Live, says audiences have been giving the cast standing ovations at every performance.
“Chicago has everything that people love about a Broadway musical – a story of fame, fortune and all that jazz, one show-stopping number after another and the most amazing dancing you’ve ever seen,” Frost says.
Zoë Ventura and the Chicago cast. Photo: Jeff Busby
Many may be surprised to see Rowsthorn immersed in the musical theatre world, but he has been dabbling in it for years, including starring in a production of The Rocky Horror Show in the early ’90s.
The actor and comedian took up singing in high school and says he wasn’t afraid of it.
“I didn’t think I had a great voice, but I didn’t have a bad voice. I can hold a tune. I actually sang at school with [musical theatre star] Marina Prior. So, I knew what a really good voice sounded like. Our schools did our musicals together.”
Over the years, the performer has starred in various live shows, including Certified Male with Adelaide comedian Glynn Nicholas.
But once he and wife Gabrielle started their family (they have four adult children), Rowsthorn says he was not keen to tour any more.
“I was just starting out then and it was fun when they were babies – we’d just take them on tour and stay in nice hotels,” he says.
“But it just didn’t sound like a valid excuse any more: ‘Sorry guys, I’m in Singapore doing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’.”
One of the stars of the show, Lucy Maunder, plays Roxie Hart. Photo: Jeff Busby
Rowsthorn says he’s loving being back in the world of musical theatre, and audiences seem to be responding positively.
“I cannot believe the response I get when I come out during the bows,” he says. “People go bananas, given I reckon I spend 12 minutes on stage for the whole thing. It’s great – it’s a good, high-impact part.”
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But separating Rowsthorn from his Kath & Kim alter ego is still tough for some, and he occasionally hears people calling out “Bretty” from the audience.
“I suppose Amos is a bit like a 1920s version of that guy,” he laughs. “A vulnerable character who’s fallen madly in love and can’t believe his luck.”
Chicago the Musical is currently playing in Sydney and will have a season at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide from August 3-31, before touring to Canberra.
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