CASTING CALL

Here's what we'll be looking for:

MAJOR ROLES:

VELMA KELLY: Former vaudeville star, brassy, tough, convicted killer
Songs: All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango, I Can't Do It Alone, My Own Best Friend, I Know a Girl, When Velma Takes the Stand, Class, Nowadays

ROXIE HART: Ambitious, tough, not as smart as she thinks she is
Songs: Funny Honey, Roxie, My Own Best Friends, Me and My Baby, Nowadays

BILLY FLYNN: Smooth, polished, successful, amoral lawyer
Songs: All I Care About Is Love, We Both Reached for the Gun, Razzle Dazzle

MATRON MAMA MORTON: Runs the prison, an opportunist (no dancing)
Songs: When You're Good To Mama, Class

MARY SUNSHINE: Feel-good, sob story journalist (she will be a she in our production)
Songs: A Little Bit of Good, We Both Reached for the Gun

AMOS HART: Roxie's sad sack husband, not too bright (no dancing)
Song: Mister Cellophane

OTHER ROLES:

FRED CASELY: The callow player that Roxie kills

SERGEANT FOGARTY: Investigating officer at Fred's murder

LIZ: Murderess. She killed the gum popper

ANNIE: Murderess who killed the Mormon with six wives

JUNE: Her husband ran into her knife six times

MONA: Murderess. Had artistic differences with her man

HUNYAK: The Hungarian murderess. Anybody speak Hungarian? Convicted and hanged.

HARRISON: The district attorney prosecuting Roxie

GO-TO-HELL KITTY: Heiress who finds her man in bed with two women

HARRY: Her man. He makes poor choices, but he does get to say, "Are you gonna believe what you see or what I tell you?"

ALSO: We have a doctor, a tailor, a judge, a bailiff, a court reporter, and a person who single-handedly plays all twelve members of the jury.

ENSEMBLE:

There is room in the chorus for people who are singers but might not have the greatest dance skills, as well as dancers who are not necessarily God's gift to singing. If you are the total package, that is most excellent. But we absolutely have space for people whose skill set is not quite so broad.

AGE:

There are no young person roles in this show. I'm not setting a hard and fast age limit, but you must be able to come across as an adult on stage. I will miss all my orphans and street urchins from my past few shows, but I can't send anybody out on stage who can't pass for a grown up.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

We are structuring the show to incorporate actors of many levels of skill and stamina. Roxie and Velma are both demanding roles- basically run a few miles, then belt out a song, then run another mile while belting out a song.

For everyone else, requirements vary. The featured dancing ensemble will work hard, but for some folks considerably less dance will be required, and there are some roles that only require you to be able to walk and talk at the same time. In audition, you'll have the opportunity to share your comfort level.

I can't remember a show where this came up before, but people have been asking so, here we go. No, we will not have a height or weight requirement for this show. Human beings come in various levels of curviness, and there's no reason for the show not to reflect that. That said, this is a show that is a lot about sex and sensuality, and if you're generally only comfortable on stage wearing a hoop skirt and a parka, there are fewer (I won't say none) opportunities for you. But I'll also say this-- I never, ever, ever send any performer out on stage to be embarrassed. I know some folks are concerned about doing a show that they associate with people dancing around barely in their underwear-- we will be tasteful and appropriate, but we will also strive to keep it hot. If you have further questions about this, don't hesitate to get ahold of me.

Men??

When people think Chicago, they think mostly of all the awesome parts for women. However, there is plenty for men to do as well.

There are named rolls, including Billy Flynn, Amos Hart, and Fred Casely. But there are also policemen, newspaper reporters, and other chorus work. We will need dancers and singers to round out the chorus-- and this is not a show where we can easily substitute women in roles written for men.

So if you are a man, or know some men personally, do consider joining us. We need men to really do this show up right. Pass the word.

How Is The Show Different From the Movie?

Many folks are only familiar with the movie version, so if you're considering joining us for the stage version, you're perhaps wondering how the stage show is different from the film.

1) Roxie and Velma- The movie shifted the dramatic focus to Roxie, making her a more sympathetic character and putting her at the center of the action. The stage version balances the two principals a bit more evenly, with Velma actually appearing in more musical numbers.

2) Musical numbers- A few were cut between stage and screen, including the number "Class" which almost made it to the film

   

3) Plot- The whole courtroom twist with Roxie's diary never happens in the stage version. There's still a story, but in keeping with the vaudeville show format of Chicago, telling a story is not always the main concern.

Chicago Is Vaudeville

The show was originally conceived and written as a vaudeville show. Each musical number is an act in the vaudeville show, most written in the style of a particular well-known performer of the twenties.

We'll get into those references a bit more later, but for one example, Velma's line "Hello suckers," was the signature line of Texas Guinan, a performer and night club (well, saloons and speakeasies) operator who was known for being hard edged.

The show was created less than fifty years after the period it references, so folks still knew who those old performers were, and that homaginess gave the show some of its original flavor. The movie's very presentational approach is a nod to the nature of the stage version; it's all a big show, and everyone is just putting on an act, trying to get attention and applause.

Let's Get Ready!

There are still seven weeks left till auditions for Chicago, but school is out (just about) and I'm ready to get to work on this show. So keep an eye on this space, because I'm going to share information about the show and our plans for this special production.

Chicago is a show that community theater groups rarely get to perform, so like Les Mis, this show will be a rare and unique treat both for audiences and performers. It's been on my director's bucket list for a long time, and I am excited to finally get to work on it.

So if you are looking for information about the FCOA production, watch this blog for updates in the weeks ahead (and while you're waiting for this production to launch, don't forget to reserve your tickets for "How To Succeed in Business," the next great production to hit the Civic stage!)

Call for Choreographer

As previously noted, having heard that many folks are interested in choreographing FCOA's production of Chicago! we're opening the floor up to anybody who wants to throw his/her taps shoes into the ring. This is what I have in mind:

What I’m looking for in a CHICAGO! Choreographer

       able to have fun

  able to choreograph in a musical, original, sexy, sophisticated style. I don’t need to see a Fosse duplicate, but the influence can certainly be evident

  able to work collaboratively with the director while recognizing that it’s the director’s job to set the overall vision of the show

  able to work with volunteer actors in a community theater setting, recognizing that they all have lives and commitments, and that they all deserve to be treated like grown-ups who are volunteering their time for an activity that is supposed to be hard work, but still enjoyable.

  able to work with dancers who are not necessary trained or even naturally gifted

  dependable, prepared, and able make efficient use of rehearsal time

  able to have fun

  excited about bringing your vision of dance and movement to life for this rare opportunity to put on Chicago in a community theater!

If you are interested, we'd like a chance to sit and chat about your ideas, your experience, your vision for the show, and anything else you think would be good to know. Examples of your previous work would be fine, too. The plan now is to do the sit-downs on April 27, so we'd like to hear from interested dancey parties by the 25th. If interested, or just to ask questions, contact:

pagreene at outlook.com

jfox64 at verizon.net

davinlcutch at yahoo.com

(You don't have to contact all three of us. Just one will be plenty)

Call for Choreographer

Here's a problem I've never had before, ever.

Several people have expressed several levels of interest in choreographing this production, and so the plan is to give everyone who is interested a fair shot, so that it's not just a case of "first come, first served" or "it's not what you know, but who you know."

So in the spirit of an open approach to filling the role, I'm now offering this open call for choreographers interested in working on Chicago. The producers and I will take inquiries up through April 25, with the intent of doing sit-down meetings with each interested party on April 27 (we can adjust as necessary). I hope to make this process as open and fair as possible, but it's definitely the first time the process of getting a choreographer has involved anything other than my picking up the phone and begging.

I will put together a more specific explanation of what I have in mind in the days ahead, but I want to get the word out sooner. You can email me at pagreene at outlook.com for more info.