It’s scandalous! ShenanArts does ‘Chicago’
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Theresa Curry / News Virginian
Published: July 4, 2007
The story, which could have been taken from today's tabloids or yesterday's or any day's, is actually based on an 80-year-old true story. Both the characters of Roxie and Velma in "Chicago" come from the two murderers documented by hard-boiled Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Watkins in 1924. One was charged with murdering an intruder and the other with murdering her husband. A celebrity lawyer made sure both clients stayed on the front page, and a willing media documented every detail of life in prison, including a pregnancy that helped speed up the trial of one of the accused. Watkins turned the stories into the comedy in 1926 and "Chicago" has been around in film and on stage ever since.
It's an ambitious project for a seasoned director, with huge demands on versatility and athleticism in the actors. Song and dance is the majority of the program, and the actors sometimes advance the plot through solos, sometimes through musical interactions, and sometimes through press conferences.
The director of this musical drama is Colton Berry, who at 16 actually is a seasoned director, with half a dozen performances for ShenanArts under his belt. His last musical for ShenanArts, "Aida," sold out for every performance. One of the challenges for a high-school student tackling a dark drama of this type is to steer the right course through the subject matter, he said. "Obviously, this is very adult material, but it's important to keep its burlesque character without going over the top."
The ShenanArts version is "100 percent" true to the original, said Berry, who is a long time fan of the Bob Fosse musical and traveled to Broadway to see "Chicago" there. Finding local talent turned out to be no problem, he said: "We had more than 40 people audition for the 20 parts."
He knew many of the actors from previous shows with ShenanArts or the Waynesboro Players, and there were many very strong and talented singers among them. Matt Stephens is the music director for "Chicago."
The dancing part was harder. "Most of the lead dancers had never danced onstage before," Berry said. Staging a show like this takes a certain amount of faith in the ability of the cast to learn new skills, and he also had faith in choreographer Justina Curtis, who taught the dancing segments in "dance boot camps" that lasted all day on Saturdays. Curtis also chose "dance captains" from the stronger dancers to work with the less experienced cast members. Several of the dances, especially "I Can't Do it Alone" require a lot of verbal and physical activity from the dancers at the same time.
"Chicago" was written on a number of levels. As a satire, it makes fun of the public hunger for celebrity news, which in turn subverts the media, which in turn subverts the justice system. As a musical, it acknowledges vaudeville with all its campy quirks and several numbers take traditional vaudeville forms - torch songs, production numbers, courtroom comedy sketches, double-entendres, fan dances, even a kind of ventriloquism when the celebrity attorney speaks through his client.
Berry, who works with his mother, Sandy Berry, as producer, said he's been able to work well with all the adults in the young cast, who range in age from 16-30. "If there's ever been a problem being so young, it's been with my peers," he said. "But generally, this hasn't been an issue."
Berry will be a senior at Wilson in the fall. He hopes to attend a college that's strong in dramatic arts and to continue in the profession.
Costuming in the drama is dark - bowler hats, t-strap shoes, black pants and suspenders, dark tank tops and shorts - and that's intentional, Berry said.
"The idea - besides referring to the black and white films available to audiences in the '20s - is to focus the attention on the dancing bodies."
With costumes by Victoria's Secret and references to every conceivable human foible, this is not a performance for children. Adults should reserve tickets by calling 540-248-1868.
Chicago is at ShenanArts Stage 4 Theatre off Rte. 11 in Verona, open Thursday through Sunday - Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
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