Chicago: Teen Edition

7 pm on 2/28-3/1 & 3/7-8 and 1 pm, 3/9, LHS Auditorium. $15 ($10 students).

media release: La Follette High School Drama closes its 2024-2025 season with Bob Fosse’s classic musical about murder, corruption...and jazz! Performances will be February 28-March 9. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 student and seniors. All performances will take place at La Follette High School’s newly renovated auditorium located at 702 Pflaum Rd.

Set in “Roaring Twenties” Chicago, the story follows the death row denizens Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly, and the other Merry Murderess’ as they vie for the spotlight, the headlines, and ultimately join forces in search of the American Dream: fame, fortune, and acquittal.

Chicago first opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre in New York City on June 3, 1975. The production, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, ran for 936 performances. On Nov 14, 1996, a revival of the show opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. It later transferred to Shubert Theatre, and then to the Ambassador Theatre, where, more than two decades later, it continues to run, logging nearly 10,000 performances. “We’re excited to share this classic American musical with the community. And we’re even more excited to share the amazing talent we have at La Follette. They’re an amazing group of kids,” says La Follette Theater Director David Pausch, who also directed the production. The iconic main roles of Velma and Roxie are played respectively by 2024 Jerry Awardee and future Yale attendee Caroline Talis and future American of Musical and Dramatic Academy attendee Shamirah Anderson. Madison theater audiences may remember Ms. Talis from her 2024 performance in Forward Theater Company’s production “What the Constitution Means to Me.”

Tickets are available either at the door or online at https://lafollette.ludus.com/index.php.