The play Chicago the Musical will be presented by Phoenix Performing Arts Centre, 409 Main St., Duryea on the weekends of Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 featuring actors 18 and under. Shown left to right: Lilly Hendry (Mama Morton), Mick Neel ( Velma Kelly), Rhiannon Legg (Roxie Hart), Jacob Hull (Billy Flynn).
Submitted photo
Rhiannon Legg, left, and Mick Neel, will co-star in Chicago the Musical at Phoenix Performing Arts Centre, 409 Main St., Duryea, Aug. 4, 5, 6, and Aug. 11, 12, 13.
Submitted photo
DURYEA – Phoenix Performing Arts Centre (PPAC) will present Chicago the Musical Senior Showcase on Aug. 4, 5, 6 and Aug. 11, 12, 13, 409 Main St., Duryea.
Show times on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 by calling for reservations at 570-457-3589.
All advance reservations must be prepaid to hold seats. Tickets will be available at the door unless sold out. The last show sold out completely and had to turn people away. There are limited seating for each show with handicap seating available. Parental discretion is advised for ages 12 and up.
The entire cast for Chicago the Musical Senior Showcase is made up of all actors 18 years old and under as they showcase their talents as the four main leads of the show before graduated seniors head off to college. A total of 26 cast members will take part in the show.
The play’s main characters are: Velma Kelly (Mick Neel), Roxie Hart (Rhiannon Legg), Billy Flynn (Jacob Hull) and Matron “Mama” Morton (Lilly Hendry).
Set in Chicago during the roaring “jazz hot” 20s, Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail. Nightclub star Velma Kelly is serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two of them together.
Driven chorus girl Roxie’s been tossed in the joint for bumping off the lover she’s been cheating on her husband with. Not one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and slick lawyer Billy Flynn, who turns Velma’s incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback. Roxie’s got some of her own tricks up her sleeve.
“Come out and see how this all plays out with catchy songs and flashy dancing,” Lee LaChette, the play’s director/choreographer, said. “You will hear popular songs such as ‘Cell Block Tango,’ ‘Nowadays’ and the ‘Hot Honey Rag,’ as well as ‘Razzle Dazzled’ and ‘All That Jazz.’ This Vaudeville 1920s style show will have you laughing, singing along, toe tapping in your seats.”
Musical Director for the play is Jackie Legg and Colleen Neel serves as technical director.
