THE MOTLOW College Theatre department recently presented the iconic “Chicago the Musical” production for its latest production.
Set in Chicago in the jazz age, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same title 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.”
According to Motlow Theatre professor Emily Seal, one of her students chose the production.
“Students submit plays they would like to do,” she explained. “They can email me anytime throughout the year to submit a play they want to do. Typically there is more of a buy-in from the students if they pick the play.”
Seal added that students were excited about taking on the multi-award-winning production.
“We had a much bigger turnout for auditions than before because the students were into the idea of “Chicago.” A lot of dancers were excited to do the show because of the big dance scenes,” she said.
With over 20 dance numbers and a somewhat intricate set, the production provides a welcomed challenge for the cast. However, the challenge is something that Seal said that she knows the cast and crew can handle.
“Chicago” is one you know has a grittier look,” she explained. “It’s not something we have to achieve Broadway level for and can do with a lower budget. It’s also talent-driven. It’s dancer-driven and vocals driven. And we have talent. We may not have all the money in the world for a huge production, but we do have talent.”
Seal said she hopes each student comes out of the production feeling like they belong to something bigger than themselves.
“I hope they come away with a sense of belonging,” she said. “I think COVID sort of alienated people and put them in their little hidey holes. And I think it’s easy to forget that we need each other and that if we come together, we can do things that seem really ambitious. This is a really ambitious project for us, but I think they can see we’re better together, and you know, if it gets them off their screens for an hour a day, I think it’s a good thing.”
She also hopes the audience can gain some independent thinking from attending the musical.
“There’s a little bit of cynicism in this play, which I think is healthy right now in America around the justice system,” explained Seal. “The play sort of mocks the American justice system. The original author was a reporter disillusioned with the sort of kangaroo courts that were going on. Hopefully, the production will spur people to be politically active and improve their communities through voting and not always necessarily trusting everything they read in the press, but deciding for themselves.”
The cast includes Madelyn Hansen, Violet Hendrix, Mars Jones, Alex Torrejon, Michael Higdon, Mason Buck, Sarah Reece, Gloria Johnson, Tucker Johnson, Talia Dillard, Maven Robinson, Abby Troyer, Bethany Farrar, Loralei Petty, Kiauna Lawrence, Julius Welch, Lilliana Johnson, Zachary Sons, Lana Bassel, Jacey VanHooser, Emily Graves, Jude Poe, Giovanni Salazar, and Jennifer Boesch.
The show’s production team includes Emily Seal, Tim Chamberlain, Connie Dodson, Gianna Afflerbaugh, Kurt Krause, Tucker Bottum, Eric Petersen, Miriam Lee, and Kristie Gibson. Instrumentalists include John Cook- Banjo, Brian Fleck, Kyle Copeland, Lisa Maurer, Vicki Collinsworth, Tom Maurer, Todd Nichols, Allen Johnson, David Bethea, and John Harris.
“Chicago the Musical” is a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb. Based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the script adaptation is by David Thompson.
For more about the story, visit online concordtheatricals.com/p/2746/chicago. GN
