Director Lorraine Lepper and her husband Mike were involved behind the scenes in 1992, as were many of the current cast, and remember it like it was yesterday.
Margaret Sanson was in the cast as a cell block girl back then and is joined on stage this time by 20-year-old daughter Caitlyn, who is also the current show's choreographer.
There was another mother-daughter connection in the cast, too, with Jill and Jazz Aungiers appearing in the ensemble, as do husband-and-wife duos Danny and Libby Bruhn, and Ria and Kaylah Saili.
It was hard to pick a favourite from a star-studded cast who wowed the audience with singing, dancing and the adoption of convincing American accents for the dialogue that could'a bin straight outa the streets of Chicago.
Every member of the cast oozed stage presence - bringing the ol' razzle-dazzle - and they were able to effortlessly pull off some big songs with strong vocal performances.
Roxie Hart (Kaylee Wicks) captures the attention of some of the ensemble of Chicago.
It was hard to picture anyone else playing their respective characters. They made each role come to life. It was entertainment-plus from the opening curtain and showcased the incredible talent largely hidden in the community.
Roxie Hart (Kaylee Wicks) and Velma Kelly (Kristy Bullians) brought the right amount of sass for their roles and were very strong, as was Billy Flynn (Marcus Wolland) in a role he seemed born for, he was that believable.
Amos Hart (Tua Fa'avale) was able to milk sighs and "ohhhs" from the audience, Matron Mama Morton (Tacita Bohen) was not to be messed with and Mary Sunshine (Stephanie Greenslade) brought professionalism and a vocal performance that blew the roof off.
Throw in some cell block girls and dancers dressed in brilliant costumes, and moves to match, and it was a high-class performance. The cast fed off audience reaction and there was plenty of that.
The real edge came with the accompaniment of a live band, led by musical director Colin Taylor, who has spent 10 years playing with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Chicago, currently on at Levin Performing Art Society, really brought the sizzle to the stage.
Lepper said the show was the culmination of four months of hard work.
"Chicago, like all our shows, has a great team behind it and I must give special thanks to our musical director Colin Taylor and choreographer Caitlyn Sanson," she said.
Lepper said the society attempted three productions each year. Their Lion King Jnr show earlier this year was one of the first theatre productions to appear on stage after the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions had been lifted.
She said the cast and crew form close ties due to the demands of rehearsals and worked together, especially if young children were involved. Children were always accommodated at rehearsals and looked after or given areas to play in.
Next year they will be holding auditions for Moana Jnr, The Sound of Music and a third production yet to be decided.
Chicago is an American musical based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, about actual criminals and the crimes on which she reported.
The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal".
Billy Flynn (Marcus Woolhouse) flanked by some dancing girls during Chicago, currently playing at Levin Performing Arts Society.
The original Broadway production opened in 1975 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 936 performances, until 1977. Chicago was revived on Broadway in 1996, and a year later in the West End.
The 1996 Broadway production holds the record as the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
It is the second longest-running show to run on Broadway, behind only The Phantom of the Opera and it surpassed Cats on November 23, 2014 with its 7486th performance.
