THE MIRROR | Deven Martinez
The VNHS Drama Program reveals the upcoming fall play, spring musical and one-act show in a week-long event.
This year the theater department has tried something new. Normally the spring musical and play get announced at an end-of-year celebration for all thespians at Van Nuys, but now the show was announced by slowly revealing the shows throughout the week and the winner was “Chicago!”
“Chicago” is a darkly satirical musical set in 1920s Chicago, where murderesses Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly use fame and a flashy lawyer to manipulate the media and the justice system. As they compete for the spotlight, the show critiques celebrity culture and corruption, all set to a jazzy, vaudeville-inspired score.
“We have a large senior class graduating this year, so we’re losing a lot of heavy hitters in the department,” director Mr. Justin Baldridge said. “I needed a show that had choral leads for the large ensemble and ‘Chicago’ is great because there’s about five people that are the main focus of the show, and then you can have as many or as few people in the ensemble as possible. Additionally, the dance styles are very different for what we did in ‘Mamma Mia’ and for all of our other prior musicals.”
Long lasting “Chicago” lover and former lead of the last spring musical, Amelia Probst, is really enjoying the reveal.
“I love ‘Chicago’,” she said. “It has been a favorite of mine for many years. I saw it at Burroughs High School a long time ago and fell in love with it. When done well, the production has so many underlying social issues that our director will do a brilliant job bringing to life. I can’t wait!”
Sophomore Ellie Steinberg has recently done the show herself, but is excited to do it again next spring.
“I’m so excited to do ‘Chicago,’” she said. “I did ‘Chicago’ at a separate theatre company this past semester and it was so much fun getting to learn the fosse dance style and partake in such a fun show, and I’m excited to do it again with this new group of performers!”
If you’re interested in being in “Chicago” next year, make sure to attend the audition meeting on Monday, April 28 in room 303.