One of the biggest factors that goes into establishing a long-running hit Broadway musical—besides a SOMETHING songbook and compelling story—is ironically, that it is not necessarily conceived as a “star vehicle,” or when “star-driven,” it can easily change and introduce a new cast. An ironic factor, when one considers Chicago: the Musical—the 2nd longest-running show on Broadway, thanks to its 1996 revival—a show built entirely around the story of two women on “Murderess Row” who captivate the media and public’s fascination—becoming “stars”—due to their alleged murderous crimes.
The original stage play found its origins in real life: in 1925, Maurine Dallas Watkins, a popular columnist for the Chicago Tribune, followed and wrote about the murder trials of two women, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. Focusing on the sensational aspects of each case, she ultimately turned these “jazz babies” into sympathetic celebrities—supplying the women with months of coverage, which the public happily consumed.
Now like then, we as an audience find ourselves no less in thrall in today’s age of social media and the Bravo-lebrity. Personas, “misdoings,” and the examination of those “misdoings” regularly drive our water cooler conversations and our social feeds. All this made Chicago: the Musical an apt choice for ESM’s spring season (and that of many others: it was among the top 10 produced by high schools during 2022-23). It allows us to examine these themes while expanding the repertoire of our students through the study of the greats—in this instance Fosse, a theatre icon whose original vision of the musical introduced the complex, precise choreography and vaudeville-esque quality to the storytelling that lives on in the production to this day.
The production staff and I would like to thank the Administration, Board of Education, Teachers, Clerical Staff, Security, Custodians, the ESM Music Boosters, and the parents of the cast, crew, and pit for their continued support of the ESM Theatre, Music and Arts programs.
Congratulations and Poo-wáh-bah to the cast, crew, and pit of Chicago: the Musical!
~Mrs. Borkowski
