Come for the Murder, Stay for the Mezcal: CHICAGO at the Arsht Center Is a Glamorous Crime Spree You Won’t Regret.

June 17th, 2025

I Went to CHICAGO at the Arsht Center and Left Wanting to Commit a Little Light Jazz-Era Fraud (With a Roxie in One Hand and a Velma in the Other)

Let me paint the scene. Downtown Miami. A hot June night. Live jazz trickling through the air. And in my hand, a cocktail named Roxie that tasted like ambition and sweet scandal. Before stepping into the Ziff Ballet Opera House for CHICAGO, I kicked off the evening at Teātro, the Arsht Center’s new pre-show lounge and dining experience. It set the perfect tone for what turned out to be a dazzling night of drama, dance and all that jazz.

The restaurant didn’t hold back. I tried both of their signature cocktails, inspired by the show’s iconic leads. The Roxie was playful and sweet with just a touch of danger, while the Velma had mezcal swagger and a smoky finish that stayed with me long after the last sip. Paired with delicious plates and moody lighting, it felt like a scene straight out of the show’s prohibition-era underworld. If you’re curious about the full dining experience, you can read more about it HERE.

Then the show started.

Ellie Roddy owned the stage as Roxie Hart. She gave us wide-eyed innocence, sharp-edged scheming, and every glittering nuance in between. Taylor Lane’s Velma Kelly matched her stride for stride, delivering powerhouse vocals and enough attitude to light up the whole room. The tension between the two never felt forced. It was magnetic. Watching them compete for fame and headlines through sharp choreography and even sharper one-liners was theater at its most fun and fearless.

Connor Sullivan returned as Billy Flynn with the kind of slick charisma that makes you believe he could talk his way out of anything and make you thank him for it. Illeana “Illy” Kirven delivered a standout turn as Mama Morton, balancing sharp humor and steady authority with effortless cool. Josh England’s Amos Hart was quietly devastating, especially during “Mr. Cellophane,” a performance that drew soft gasps and sincere applause. The ensemble moved like a single, sinuous machine. Every snap, strut, and swivel was perfectly timed. Fosse’s legacy was alive and fully felt.

What makes CHICAGO so thrilling is how relevant it still feels. Roxie’s rise through murder and media manipulation could be a Netflix true crime special by next week. The show doesn’t just entertain. It exposes. And it does so with sequins, saxophones, and a wink.

If you went on opening night, you were treated to Broadway on Biscayne, an immersive pre-show experience that turned the Arsht Center into a jazz-era playground. There was live music, cocktail-making demos, caricatures in a courtroom setup, and even a Fosse-style dance lesson. It was glitzy, ridiculous, and completely perfect.

Here’s what you need to know:

Where Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center
When: June 17 to 22, 2025
Tickets $35 to $155 at arshtcenter.org
Runtime: Two hours and thirty minutes with one intermission
Age Recommendation: Thirteen and up, especially if they’re into jazz hands and courtroom chaos

Whether you’re a longtime fan or seeing CHICAGO for the first time, this production hits every mark. It’s sleek. It’s seductive. It’s scandalously smart. Paired with a signature drink and a pre-show vibe check at Teātro, it becomes more than a musical. It’s an experience.

So, get dressed, grab your cocktail, and prepare for a night that’s equal parts glamor and grit, because the name on everybody’s lips is still CHICAGO.