Wilkinson Leads Copeland-directed CHICAGO for Nashville Rep

2015 First Night Honoree Martha Wilkinson - the winner of nine First Night Awards for outstanding lead actress in a musical - leads the Nashville Repertory Theatre cast of the Oscar- and Tony Award-winning Chicago, running March 19-April 16 at the Andrew Johnson Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Nashville Rep's producing artistic director Rene D. Copeland directs the murderous musical, which features a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Music direction is by Jason Tucker and choreography by Pam Atha. Designers are Gary C. Hoff (Scenic Designer), Trish Clark (Costume Designer), Phillip Franck (Lighting Designer), and Jeff Ent (Sound Designer). Technical Director is Tyler Axt.

"We're inviting the audience into a 1920's nightclub where most people are only looking out for number one" says Copeland. "Murder, gin, and jazz will be the vibe, and with some of the audience at stage-front cabaret tables, each performance will be a rowdy delight. The music is the best, and it's great fun to take a well-loved show like Chicago and make it our own. Nashville Rep is as excited about its approach as the audience is."

In addition to Wilkinson, Nashville Rep's cast includes Corrie Maxwell (Velma), Geoff Davin (Billy), with Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva (Matron "Mama" Morton), Shawn Knight (Amos/Ensemble) and J. London (Mary Sunshine). Members of the ensemble include DeVon Buchanan, Wesley Carpenter, Jess Darnell, Billy Ditty, Rosemary Fossee, Mia Rose Lynne, Neely Scott and Everett Tarlton.

In the iconic Kander and Ebb show, originally directed and choreographed on Broadway by Fosse, wannabe chorine Roxie Hart tries to pin the murder of her lover on her unwitting husband, Amos, but the jig is up and Roxie lands in Cook County Jail. Vaudeville star and accused murderer Velma Kelly is less than pleased to see Roxie on her cell block, since Roxie's sensational crime and feigned innocence capture the public's attention - thanks to the easily swayed and manipulated press corps, led by the nortorius Mary Sunshine - as well as Velma's hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn.

The award-winning, darkly comic musical whisks audiences into a world where everyone - anyone, actually - can be a dazzling performer, truth is defined by what garners the most attention, and owning the spotlight is the most important thing in life.

Tickets are $25 for previews and start at $50 for regular run. Cabaret tables close to the stage seat four and begin at $60 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at nashvillerep.org or by calling the Box Office at (615) 782-4040. Preview performances of Chicago are March 17 and 18, and opening night is Saturday, March 19. Chicago runs through April 16.

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