When a girl finds herself on death row she has two options. Go it alone and face the hangman – or turn herself into a star. Roxie Hart takes the latter option and is transformed from a “dumb lowlife criminal” into an overnight sensation, thanks to some fancy footwork from her sharp-suited lawyer. Chicago is the cautionary tale of a wannabe star who shoots her lover dead and lands in Cook County Jail, where she soon realises that to avoid the gallows she must re-invent herself.

Enlisting the help of smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn – for a cool 5,000 bucks – Roxie gives the press a glittering performance, enraging rival cellmate Velma Kelly, a Vaudeville star and double murderess.

With a sparse monochrome set, and costumes that could pass as underwear, the sexy, sassy show speaks volumes about manufactured celebrity in prohibition-era Chicago. Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery and treachery – it’s all there, wrapped up in the striking Bob Fosse choreography synonymous with the show, performed with exquisite timing by a fabulous cast of dancers.

Although Billy Flynn is a starry role, I wasn’t sure if Jimmy Osmond was the right choice for the crooked lawyer, but he was quite a revelation.

From the moment he appeared, surrounded by dancing girls performing All I Care About with a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step, he was charm personified. His courtroom showstopper, Razzle Dazzle, did just that.

Emma Barton was great as Roxie; scheming, self-obsessed, wide-eyed and vulnerable, growing tougher with the fickle fame game. Her comic scenes were a joy, particularly with Jimmy in We Both Reached For The Gun.

Twinnie-Lee Moore was a terrific Velma, capturing the show’s style and energy in song-and-dance numbers like All That Jazz. And Adam Stafford captured the audience’s hearts as Amos, the tragic ‘Mister Cellophane’.

A cracking show, beautifully staged and performed. It would be a crime to miss it. Runs until March 21.