< THE early announcement that Eastenders’ star Emma Barton was not destined to appear for the opening night of Chicago brought a few murmurs of discontent to the audience who were keen for some ‘razzle dazzle’ .

However, a brilliant cast helped ease all four understudies – for Roxie Hart, Mary Sunshine, Hunyak and Kitty - seamlessly into their new, very demanding roles.

The plot is set in Chicago in the roaring twenties, when nightclub singer Roxie Hart shoots her lover and looks set to be hanged, until Matron ‘Mama’ Morton steps in and introduces her to criminal lawyer Billy Flynn, who helps get Roxy released.

Miriam Elwell-Sutton did a sterling job, taking on the role of sassy and sleek Roxie Hart with gusto whilst Gary Wilmot is superb, as ever, in the role of the smooth yet sharp talking Billy Flynn. Twinnie-Lee Moore also deserves a mention for her performance as Velma, the double-murderess with her sights set on the stage.

The musical wouldn’t be the same, of course, without ‘all that jazz’, which was performed with aplomb by the 10-strong house band who rightly take centre stage throughout the entire performance.

The stylised choreography was also perfectly executed – right up until the final two numbers, which saw Velma and Roxy lacking synchronicity and a definite drop in standards. But this should be forgiven, however, because Miriam had some pretty big shoes to fill last, and she barely skipped a beat. Chicago - The Musical is on at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday, July 25.