Preview: Chicago is ready to Razzle Dazzle ‘em
Director: David Sidwell
Choreographers: Sonja McGirr-Garrett and Alexis Holmes
Musical Director: Nick Braae
Where: Clarence Street Theatre
When: June 25 – 10 July
The cast of Hamilton Operatic Society’s production of Chicago is getting steamy with anticipation and are set to kick off their season tomorrow night at Clarence Street Theatre.
Set in 1920s Chicago, the show is a story of murder, greed, fame and treachery. It starts when nightclub performer Velma Kelly (Michaela Gilling) murders her cheating husband and sister after finding them in bed together. Chicago’s slickest lawyer Billy Flynn (Nick Wilkinson) is set to represent her when Roxie Hart (Courteney Mayall) also finds herself on death row. Billy takes on her case as well – leading to a media circus. The women fight for notoriety in the hope it will increase their fame and keep them from the gallows.
Photo by Benjamin Wilson.
Producer Pip Chesham said the show was originally meant to open in 2020 but was pushed back a year due to COVID. “95% of the original cast remain, however, we found some brilliant people to fill in the gaps from the people who couldn’t come back,”
The cast of Chicago features an array of local performers, who show off their talents in acting, dancing, singing and as part of the orchestra.
Photo by Benjamin Wilson.
Musical Director, Nick Braae, is thrilled to bring the musical Chicago to life and says the show encapsulates the “glitz and glam of the 1920’s Chicago era, mixed with melodramatic acting and mickey mouse type effects from the orchestra.”
The overall show is a “minimalist, mixed with a vaudeville feel, focusing on characters and how they shift rapidly. It is similar to what you may have seen in old 1920’s film,” says Nick.
Do not miss out on this non-stop, high energy show!
Photo by Benjamin Wilson.
*Chicago opens this Friday, June 25th and runs until Saturday the 10th of July.
Tickets: Chicago 2021
