playbill vip

 A Note from the Directors

 “Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery—all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”

So begins the musical “Chicago”, based on a 1926 straight play of the same name written by reporter turned-playwright, Maurine Dallas Watkins.  In 1924, working as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Watkins covered the trials of accused murderers Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, on whom the characters Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are respectively based. Watkins found herself shocked by the infatuation of the public and press with these accused murderers, soon dubbed “the prettiest murderess,” and “most stylish woman on Murderer's Row.” Annan and Gaertner dominated the newspapers. They became so popular that more women accused of crimes poured into Cook County jail hoping for their turn in the spotlight. By the time the two women were tried for their crimes, the public’s perception had been completely manipulated. Both were acquitted by June of the same year.

In 1975– the legendary Bob Fosse approached the songwriting team, John Kander and Fred Ebb with the idea of turning Watkins’ play into a musical. Although the story is quite dark, they wrote it in a vaudeville style, which was the happy, slapstick popular form of entertainment in the 1920s. It lent itself to Fosse’s now universally recognized style of choreography. Chicago was revived in 1996 and still runs today. It is the longest-running revival in Broadway history.

Our sincerest appreciation goes to the administration of St. Charles North High School. Thank you for recognizing the importance of theatre and music in the lives of our students. The memories and lessons the students have experienced during this process will last them a lifetime, and we are all forever grateful for having been able to perform this show for our school and community. 

Finally, to the cast, crew, and pit members- thank you for trusting us to lead you in the right direction. Thank you for giving us your all every day in rehearsals. The adversities the crew has had to overcome in this very challenging year have paid off. Thank you for sharing your time, dedication, and talents with us and each other in pursuit of musical theatre excellence.

Bill and I would like to particularly thank Ryan Colton for all you did this year to make this production happen. Your dedication to these students is quite extraordinary.

We look forward to sharing our story with you tonight…“Whoopee… Hotcha…Jazz!”

Warmly,

Bill and Konnie Sherry