SANTA MONICA – CHICAGO, the longest running American musical to run on Broadway, opened this past weekend at Barnum Hall on the Santa Monica High School campus.
The students on the stage, the students working behind the scenes, and the students playing in the musical pit wowed the audience with the talented capabilities. With a cast and crew of over 150 students, the shows went off without a hitch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.
Jeffrey Huls, the Director of the show, always wanted to produce a musical that featured dance. Huls said he momentarily thought about doing Cats but ultimately decided to go with CHICAGO. Huls knew that he had the female and male student talent that could both sing and dance well enough to do justice to the musical.
The student actors did more than justice to the numbers they performed. They danced and sang their way into our hearts and allowed us to suspend reality for a few hours and enjoy the theatrical experience.
For the uninitiated, CHICAGO, is the story of two women, Roxie and Velma, who have committed crimes and find themselves in prison. While the women yearn for fame and fortune, they have to somehow get back outside to the real world.
Enter, Billy, the corrupt lawyer. Billy promises that he can get Roxie released by manipulating society through the use of the newspaper media. While he ultimately gets Roxie released from prison, his plan fails because Roxie’s trial is eclipsed by yet another sensational murder that consumes the public’s interest.
If you’re a fan of CHICAGO, a fan of community theatre, or just want to see the many talented students at Santa Monica High School, there is still time to see the show. There are three more performances this weekend. You can purchase tickets by clicking this link.
On March 7 and March 8th, the show begins at 7:00 pm PST. On March 9th, the final show time is 3 pm PST.
Some content courtesy of SMMUSD, The New York Theatre Guide, Youtube and Wikipedia. This post is proudly sponsored by:
