Coming to the stage at East Hampton High School this weekend is John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical “Chicago.”
Performances are Friday and Saturday night at 7, and Sunday afternoon at 2. Tickets cost $20, or $10 for students and senior citizens, payable in cash or by check.
“Everything’s coming together,” Kathryn Schreck, the director of the musical and an English teacher at East Hampton High School, said on Feb. 14. “We’re a little family,” she added, “you really feel that in these last few weeks.”
One of the big reasons she chose “Chicago” as this year’s musical was that it has an active ensemble that is onstage for so many of the musical numbers. “I try to also think about the past years and seasons of our show and what would be different, so students can experience a variety of musicals,” she said.
The original musical debuted on Broadway in 1975, based on a play of the same name from 1926, and ran for over two years. The story takes place in 1920s Prohibition-era Chicago, when jazz and speakeasies run the town, and tackles intertwining themes of fame and infamy and the lengths to which people will go to keep their stardom no matter which side of the line they fall on.
The musical opens with the classic number “All That Jazz,” led by the character Velma Kelly, portrayed by Natalia Neal, a senior. Velma is a vaudeville star soon to be arrested for the double murder of her sister and husband, whom she caught having an affair. On the other side
of town, Roxie Hart, portrayed by the sophomore Emma Hand, is also soon to be arrested for a murder of her own. With the help of the lawyer Billy Flynn (Jadiel Rodriguez, a senior), Roxie takes Chicago by storm, becoming a news sensation. Sitting in the same prison, she and Velma square off as they each try to keep themselves in the spotlight.
The 2002 Academy Award-winning movie version starring Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Roxie and Velma and Richard Gere as Billy Flynn, offered a new interpretation of the musical, blending more color and sets to contrast the more classical vaudevillian style that the original production was known for.
According to Ms. Schreck the East Hampton production is leaning more toward the vaudeville style. “It’s a lot of black minimalistic touches,” she said, “but there are a few moments where we have a few pops of color, like silver and red.”
For those worried about the content of this show, fear not, the school is doing an edited-down teen edition for just that reason. “The teen edition does a good job in terms of content tailored to young actors,” Ms. Schreck said, but she did say that it still may be best to leave the elementary-age kids at home for this one.
“We have very mature students who understand that it’s mature content and handle it tastefully,” Ms. Shreck said.
The legendary Bob Fosse was a major driving force in the original production, working on the book as well as being both the director and choreographer. For East Hampton High’s production, Anita Boyer returns as the choreographer, but several students together have also created their own original choreography for a few of the musical numbers.
“I think it’s so awesome to watch students collaborate,” Ms. Schreck said, “and they’ve come up with some really great ideas.” She highlighted the number “Roxie,” where the collaboration was an especially fun one. “It’s been really neat to see them working together,” she said.
Also on the production staff is the assistant director Jayne Freeman, the vocal director Amanda Jones, and Stephanie Quigley directing the orchestra.