Theatre Arts & Dance Gives the in 'CHICAGO The Musical'

Published: February 07, 2013 | Read Time: 3 minutes

There’s music, murder and mayhem when SUU’s Department of Theatre Arts & Dance presents CHICAGO the Musical, which will run February 7–9 and 14–16 in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

The hilarious award-winning musical comedy will be directed by Brad Carroll, who staged the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s highly successful Les Misérables.

Still running on Broadway after sixteen record-breaking years, CHICAGO the Musical features a book by theatrical legends Bob Fosse (director/choreographer of Sweet Charity and Pippin) and Fred Ebb. Lyricist Ebb and composer John Kander (Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Zobra) created the musical’s sizzling score.

The award-winning musical is based on the 1926 play, Chicago, by Maurine Dallas Watkins, who drew upon her experiences as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. A scintillating and satirical examination of the justice system, CHICAGO the Musical follows the exploits of would-be chorine Roxie Hart, who achieves notoriety for shooting her callous lover, and vaudevillian Velma Kelly, who killed her faithless husband and sister. Competing with each other for attention and headlines, the women soon realize that their fame is temporary and their only chance of beating the murder charges rests with slick lawyer Billy Flynn.

Sharp-witted and fast-paced, CHICAGO the Musical is highlighted by a series of show-stopping song and dance routines including the rousing “All that Jazz,” the glittering “Razzle Dazzle” and scorching “Cell Block Tango.” The current long-running revival in New York received six Tony Awards in 1996 and the musical’s 2002 film version won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of the Year.

There is no containing director Brad Carroll’s enthusiasm for CHICAGO the Musical. “The Roaring Twenties, flappers, the Charleston, Prohibition, Al Capone. And, of course, the requisite murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation and vice. Welcome to CHICAGO the Musical, where crime is a form of entertainment and Cook County Jail is the hottest ticket in town. Still running on Broadway, it is an amazing privilege for SUU to have been granted the rights to produce CHICAGO the Musical as part of our season!"

Joining Carroll in bringing CHICAGO the Musical to the SUU stage are choreographer Kirsten Sham and musical director Gerald Rheault. The design team for the production includes set designs by Jarrod Bray, costume design by Wendy A. Sanders, lighting design by Karyn Lawrence, sound design by Nicolas Berti Inegar and hair and makeup design by Natalia Castilla. Kelli Kovach is dramaturge and Miriam Gonzalez serves as the stage manager.

The cast is headed by Samantha Smith as Roxie Hart, Jennifer Smith as Velma Kelly and Alex Allred as Billy Flynn. Samantha Smith was featured as Beth March in last year’s production of Little Women. Jennifer Smith appeared in the ensemble of the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s production of Les Misérables and as the Fool in SUU’s 2011 production of King Lear. And Allred appeared in the comedy Almost, Maine at SUU. The cast also features Alisha Fabbi (The Music Man at the Utah Shakespeare Festival) as the scheming Matron Mama Morton, Grayson Moulton (SUU’s King Lear) as the woebegone Amos Hart and R. Palmer (SUU’s A Christmas Carol on the Air) as the crusading reporter Mary Sunshine. The ensemble includes Camille Anthian Bahoravitch, Dalton Burr, Tony Carter, Sharon Chen, Amanda Dayton, Josh Durfey, Joshua L. Hopkins, Taylor Holbrook, Sceri Ivers, Dustin Liechty, Nate Marble, Katelin Ruzzamenti, Carly Skankey and Chris Whiteside.

Tickets are now on sale and may also be purchased at the door. Prices are: $10 General Admission, $8 SUU Faculty/Staff, $5 Youth and free for SUU students with a valid ID. For tickets, call 435-586-7872 or purchase them at the Centrum Arena box office. Tickets may also be purchased online at suu.edu/arts. Curtain call for all showings is at 7:30 p.m.

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Contact Information:

435-586-5400
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