During the week of March 10-13, the Plymouth Theatre students put on several spectacular performances of the play “Chicago.” Audience members were razzle dazzled by supurb vocals and flashy dances that filled the stage during the performance directed and choreographed by Kevin P. Hill.
The story of Chicago was originally written by a journalist named Maurine Watkins in 1926, a time of newly gained freedom as Prohibition failed to take root. Watkins spun the murder trials she was covering into a play that followed the story of several women who were put on trial. The play was later adapted into a musical in the 1960’s by choreographer Bob Fosse who applied his renowned vaudeville dancing style to each number to create a musical production that has increased in popularity, and has also been adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.
Plymouth’s theatre students drew from Fosse’s burlesque style of dancing and brought it to the stage by applying their own dancing flair. Some of the popular musical numbers stood out and audience members couldn’t help but tap their feet to the beat or even sing along to several of the catchy choruses. These numbers included All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango, We Both Reached For The Gun, and Razzle Dazzle, just to name a few.
Lead actresses Brandee Peglow and Amanda Teneriello who played Velma and Roxie, made their powerful voices heard as they took the stage to justify why they had no other choice but to murder their husbands. They were joined by Katherine Lenhart (Annie), Jessica Tolz (June), Jaclyn Wood (Hunyak) and Megan Beaucage (Mona) who also told their stories during the musical number Cell Block Tango. Jennifer Roach, who played Mama Morton, also displayed some impressive vocal talent, along with actor Andrew Freitas who played Billy Flynn, the lawyer responsible for representing each of the girls.
A live orchestra accompanied each vocal performance, along with dancing from the ensemble cast that also nicely emulated the vaudeville style. The complex choreography quickened the pace of the play, and left the audience eager for more. It is clear that hours of rehearsal and dedication were put into each and every number. The entire cast went above and beyond to capture the exciting and scandalous lifestyle in Chicago during the 1920’s, and to bring dazzling acting, vocals, and dancing to Plymouth’s stage.