It’s the 1920s in Chicago and vaudeville star Velma Kelly has just shot her husband after discovering his affair with her sister . . .
Envious of Velma’s newfound celebrity status, rival Roxie Hart follows suit, murdering her conniving lover. Desperate to avoid conviction, however, Roxie dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to segue her crime into a deluge of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids. Thanks to the media, Roxie is transformed from murderess to marvelous!
The musical Chicago, now on stage at the Arts Center through July 28, has everything you’d want in a theater experience: an enticing plot with murder, sex, fame and corruption; incredible hit songs like “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango” and “Razzle Dazzle;” plus non-stop, stylized Fosse-dance numbers.
With book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Chicago amassed six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival as well as the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.
According to Chicago Director Russell Garrett, the Arts Center’s production of Chicago will provide a rich experience of the show. “Most people who’ve seen Chicago on Broadway have seen the revival, and while that’s an incredible show, it was brought back to the New York stage as a musical revue,” he explained. “Our version – still with the beloved Fosse dance styles and songs you know and love – will give the audience so much more to enjoy in what is already a thoroughly engaging, satisfying and current show. And, it will of course still have Chicago’s inherent sultry, sexy component to it.”
Cast members include Caitlin Carter (Roxie Hart), who was Mona in the Broadway production, and also the show’s original dance captain; Jessica Lea Patty (Velma Kelly), who’s been in six Broadway productions and five national tours; and David Sattler (Billy Flynn) who’s headlined a lengthy roster of European tours, and within the US at such renowned companies as the American Musical Theater, Ogunquit Playhouse and Paper Mill Playhouse. Having been in Broadway’s Fosse, Bluffton-resident Kathleen Watkins returns to the Arts Center stage, after performing in the theater’s 2004 production of Chicago among numerous other Arts Center shows.
Costume Designer Diana Griffin brings her own kind of magic to the stage,, capturing the flash and style of the roaring 20s with everything from sparkling, fringed flapper dresses to black and barely-there, while accessorizing with feathered headpieces, garter belts and thigh-highs stockings. The lighting, which showcases the story to illuminated perfection, has been designed by Lighting Designer Brian Riley, with set design by the visionary Sabrinna Cox.
Both aesthetically and musically, this show about sin, song and celebrity brings Broadway to the Lowcountry, as the Arts Center so regularly does.
So don’t miss the musical extravaganza that will captivate, sizzle … and all that jazz, at the Arts Center, June 19 – July 28.
Tickets are $44 for adults and $31 for children, (preview prices are $34/adult and $26/child) and may be purchased by calling the box office at (843) 842-ARTS or by visiting online at www.artshhi.com. Groups of ten or more enjoy reduced ticket prices, as well as two free tickets! Find out more by calling the box office.
