Cappies Review: George Mason High School's 'Chicago'

Travel back in time to the mid-1920's with the cast of George Mason High School's production of Chicago, written by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb, full of murder lies and jazzy numbers. With an extravagant ensemble, captivating leads, a Killer Diller orchestra, and seamless tech crew, this show is a must see.

The story of Chicago follows wide-eyed Roxie Hart through her transformation from an ambitious girl to a manipulative woman, willing to do anything for fame. It starts with Velma Kelly, the city's jazz sensation, winding up in jail after murdering her husband and sister. She finds Billy Flynn, an attorney with an impeccable record, to defend her. After Roxie Hart joins Velma in jail due to a similar situation, she convinces Billy to defend her as well. The two women fight for fame, attention, and their lives, because losing their trials means being hanged. Eventually, Velma and Roxie join forces, to create a killer finale to the show.

The entire cast of Chicago at George Mason High School worked together to suspend the audience's disbelief through fast-paced songs, snappy dances, and scenes that the audience couldn't look away from. They creatively used props and a simple but effective set to tell the story. The crew was a well-oiled machine, and the orchestration was downright spectacular. Everyone worked together as a team to create a top-notch show.

Roxie Hart (Meggie Ferguson) was onstage for practically the whole show, and never let her energy or performance quality drop. Though Roxie was the main character, Velma Kelly (Mithi Pe�aranda) stole the show. Her smooth and jazzy vocals were arguably some of the best in the show, and her stage presence made her extremely captivating. Another notable character in this show was Billy Flynn (Miles Jackson), who played Billy in a goofier way than the original production, giving the audience a fresh take on the character. He held a 30-second-long note in "We Both Reached for the Gun," and didn't let it decay over that time. Billy maintained his impressive vocal quality throughout the entire show.

While the entire ensemble was good, some individual members of the ensemble were great, and they elevated the whole show. One of these individuals was Fred Casely (Sasha Ronning), who used creative facial expressions to entertain the audience. Another standout character was Hunyak (Rebekah Ayre), the ballerina who could only speak Hungarian. She took her character to the next level by learning her lines in Hungarian and dancing en pointe beautifully throughout the show. The character Liz (TiKa Wallace), better known as Pop had excellent physicality, and ensemble member Kevin Hong added to scenes by performing stunning acrobatics.

All 176 lighting cues went off without a hitch, due in large part to the lighting crew (Sam Klemic, Sine Anderson, and Nina Rifkin). The lights designer (Sam Klemic), creatively used the lights to really set the mood throughout the entire show. The costuming (Elizabeth Hoofnagle) was simple, but it effectively told the story. The set designers (Dan Kramer, Callie Russell, Ana Karin Iturralde, and Sam Klemic) created a beautiful set that was creatively used throughout the entire show.

The production of Chicago by George Mason High School is a show worth seeing. As soon as the music starts, the audience is on the edge of their seats and hanging on to every word. As it deals with mature content, Chicago is a difficult show for high school students to pull off. However, George Mason High School did an admirable job. With the talent on and off the stage, no one would want to miss a single second.

Review by Josie Binkley of Tuscarora High School

Photo: Rachel Doornbosch/George Mason High School