Stella Rogers '25
“He had it coming!” and so do the viewers of Cate School's production of the second longest-running musical of all time, Chicago. Students have busied themselves with learning lines, songs, and dances. Some have been designing costumes, hanging the illuminated Chicago sign, or painting the steps of the Vaudeville stage all for the grand opening night. Being a musical in 1920’s Chicago, during a time of prohibition and jazz, this production is set in the Cook County jail, where the cells are filled with murderesses, some of whom are “not guilty!” The two protagonists, Velma Kelly, played by Phebe Hancock ‘23, and Roxie Hart, played by Carly Medina ‘23, are fighting for their freedom and dealing with slimy lawyer Billy Flinn, played by Nate Keshen ‘24. In Velma's case, she is locked away for a crime she pleads she didn’t commit, while Roxie is fighting to escape punishment for the death of the man she shot. The show runs in the style of a 1920s jazz act, with tap dances, solos, and much more.
Dance is one of the critical elements that pulls this musical together. The style of dance in Chicago is Fosse. Theater Director Kiara Downey notes that “the choreographic team of students had talked about their love of fosse, and Chicago famously is envisioned by Bob Fosse.” Fosse is a super jazzy dance style with slow hip rolls, finger snaps, and fragile, detailed movements, isolating every little gesture down to the swish of a hand or a shoulder roll. These movements create lots of tension and embrace jazz music. In speaking with student choreographer, Colette Chang ‘25, who choreographed “When Velma Takes the Stand,” “I Can't Do It Alone,” and “Nowadays,” she said, “For each of my pieces, I watched different videos, like the broadway production and two high school productions, and took notes of all the different aspects.” She is taking a choreography class where she gets to learn and create dances for the production. In the piece “Nowadays,” a duet between Roxie and Velma, she was given creative license to have the actors dance down the golden stairs and use the entire stage and were even given props such as sparkly jackets, canes, and hats. Another performance that audience members should look forward to witnessing is the mighty number of “Cell Block Tango.” This song tells the alibis of all the murderesses who are locked in the jail. This number includes the six main murderesses and several ensemble members who fill in as the murdered and cellmates. The choreography for this piece is powerful in that it shows the rage these women feel locked in the Cook County Jail while being powerful and robust. Like this one, there are several fun full-cast numbers and spotlight performances to look forward to in what will be a spectacular spectacle.
What would a musical be without talented voices to sing? Chicago is a show that has many higher parts, and luckily, the students of Cate School were able to deliver. This cast brings the thunderous higher soprano notes and melodic altos that this show needs. In speaking with Vocal Director Gabriel DiGennaro (Deeg), the music director, about why Chicago was chosen as the musical this year, he said that the songs would fit the voices of the people who wanted to participate. He explains, “Kind of like picking music or a choir or an orchestra, where you want to challenge students enough but also know that they can feel successful at the end of the day.” The actors in Chicago are challenging their voices in some of these songs, learning to control their breath and sing to their fullest so that the audience is encaptured in the melody. The vocal style that Deeg tries to emulate in this show is a chest pop belt, like songs on the radio. The numbers consist of catchy tunes that will get any viewer to hum the chorus of “All I Care About Is Love.” Deeg also expressed that the musical is on track to be ready for the show date; the songs are being tackled every day in rehearsal, all while he is often heard yelling lyrics and encouraging loud voices when dances are being run through.
When it comes to acting, the pool is huge. This show, in particular, has very talented leads. In conversation with Carly, who is playing Roxie, she said that she gets a lot of her inspiration for this character not from the movie, but rather from reading through the lines with Ms. Downey and going off her interpretations. Carly has brought so much talent to the stage in her four years at Cate, from participating in the fall play to being the lead in last year's musical, and she is even going to be majoring in acting in college next fall! As for Ms. Downey, she says that she gets her inspiration when working with cast members “mostly from the character's relations from the beginning of the play and where they need to be at the end.” In this particular musical, there are many more minor characters, and when working to fit them into the scenes, Ms. Downey describes, “some characters only have little moments, but they are really poignant. I tried to match them with either the mood or the meaning of the songs that are coming, or sometimes just playing to the strengths of the actors in the scene.” This allows actors to improve and add their own flair to each scene they are featured in. In speaking with Nate Keshen, who plays Billy Flinn, he says that how he plays the character is slightly like the movie but also his “perspective on a stereotypical money craving lawyer, greasy lawyers.” All of the people in the cast have been working with Ms. Downey and Theater Manager Richard McDonald to find ways to bring life and fun to these different characters and scenes. The consensus from many of the cast members is that the musical is on track for a stellar performance by family weekend.
Chicago is a funny, entertaining, razzle dazzling spectacle that the viewers should anticipate excitedly. The students have been busy every evening – Colette describes it as “a lot of work but very rewarding.” And most importantly, there has been so much joy and laughter involved with this production. In the interview with Deeg, he tells about an encounter with Mr. Williams, where he talks about the last time Chicago was put on by Cate School, saying, “this show stands a challenger for the best Chicago that Cate has ever seen.”
Thanks for highlighting the musical, Stella! I can't wait to show the community all of our hard work : )