Speakeasies, fast cars, jazz — that’s Chicago of the 1920s. Join more than 60 student performers at the Eastern Center for the Performing Arts as they are transported to this uniquely American setting for the Tony award-winning musical Chicago, presented by the Theater Department of Eastern Regional High Schools on March 25, 26 & 27, 2010.
With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, the story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice, and the concept of the “celebrity criminal.” The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins. The story originated from the actual criminals and crimes that became the subjects of her signature articles.
Chicago’s combination of dazzling songs, satire and dark one-liners has made it one of the stage’s hottest offerings since it was revived on Broadway in 1996.
The story centers on Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, who find themselves on death row after the demise of their husbands. In this high-stakes drama, who will go to the gallows and who will go free says as much about ‘celebrity’ today as it did in the 1920s.
Director Gregg Molotsky, a 15-year veteran of the school’s musicals, is excited to be staging one of New Jersey’s first high school productions of Chicago since its Broadway revival.
Given that the original Broadway production was choreographed by Bob Fosse (Sweet Charity, Cabaret, All that Jazz), Molotsky and choreographer Alexa Hibbert immersed their students in the style of this great American musical theater talent, including running ‘Fosse Boot Camps’ during the rehearsal process.
Whether you’re looking for a high-caliber musical, or you’ve seen the Academy Award-winning film and want to experience the show live, Chicago delivers!
Performances are March 26, 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. All performances will take place at the Eastern Center for the Performing Arts, 1401 Laurel Oak Road, Voorhees.
Admission is $10. All seats are reserved and box office hours are available by calling 784–4441 x6000, or students may purchase tickets during the day at the Eastern school store.
