Palo Alto Players' CHICAGO Starts Tonight

Palo Alto Payers, the Peninsula's first theatre company, presents CHICAGO, a brilliant musical satire that brings you the razzle­dazzle music of vaudeville, show­stopping dance numbers - and all that jazz! Written by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, CHICAGO is the winner of six Tony Awards. CHICAGO will play for 11 performances, tonight, September 11, through September 27, 2015 at the Lucie Stern Theater located at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Tickets are on sale now online at www.PAplayers.org or by phone at 650.329.0891.

It's the roaring twenties, and everybody in Chicago is talking about the Merry Murderesses - a string of femme fatales on trial for murder, including vaudevillian Velma Kelly. Velma is scheming to parlay her newfound publicity into celebrity stardom, and hires the slickest lawyer in town to influence the tabloids and win an acquittal from a corrupt justice system that bows to trial­by­media. But when housewife and ambitious chorus girl Roxie Hart is arrested for murdering her lover, the press turns its flashbulbs on Roxie, who gets her first taste of fame and will do anything to keep herself on the front page. CHICAGO is a brilliant musical satire that dives headfirst into America's voyeuristic obsession with scandals and celebrity. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical (1997), CHICAGO brings you the razzle­dazzle music of vaudeville, show­stopping dance numbers - and all that jazz!

The musical CHICAGO is based on a play of the same name, written in 1926 by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals she reported on in Chicago, Illinois. Her reporting columns were so popular that she was inspired to write a play based on them, and her play was adapted into the musical CHICAGO in 1975. Each song in the musical was based on a traditional vaudeville number or performer, underscoring the show's satirical spotlight on "show business", celebrity, and justice. As famous as its songs are, CHICAGO is perhaps best known for its impressive dance numbers, which were choreographed by Bob Fosse for the original production, arguably making CHICAGO the best known example of Fosse's style of choreography. In 1996, CHICAGO was revived on Broadway, where it went on to win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (1997) and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical (1997); it was also revived on London's West End in 1997, where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production (1998), and was adapted into a major motion picture of the same name in 2002, where it won six Academy Awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture.

Palo Alto Players' Artistic Director Patrick Klein explains, "When we were choosing shows for this season, we knew it was our 85 anniversary season - and that's a big anniversary to celebrate! So we wanted to make sure that was reflected in our shows this season, which is how we selected 'Our Tony­est Season Yet'. And what better way to kickstart a season of phenomenal Tony winners than CHICAGO. It's the longest­running musical revival and the longest­running American musical in Broadway history, and for good reason! The music is so contagious, the dance numbers are really something special, and Palo Alto Players' creative team has done an incredible job making this story come alive on our stage."

Janie Scott, a professor in the School of Music and Dance at San Jose State University for the past 23 years, returns to Palo Alto Players to direct and choreograph CHICAGO, after having directed THE ADDAMS FAMILY as part of Palo Alto Players' 2014­-15 Season. The show was a Theatre Bay Area Recommended Production and a smashing success with audiences.

"When offered the opportunity to direct and choreograph this iconic production, I jumped at the chance, especially after having had such a wonderful experience working on THE ADDAMS FAMILY," Scott explains. "The cast is so strong and they are exactly the people I need to present my vision of CHICAGO. This production will have a few interesting elements that we haven't seen in recent productions of this show, thanks to a really unique and conceptually intriguing set, designed by Palo Alto Players' own Artistic Director Patrick Klein! I have a wonderful playground on which to present this playful and sexy show, plus the partnership of a multitalented creative staff of designers and technicians. Opening Night [Saturday, September 12, 2015] is going to be the unveiling of a sharp and eye­catching version of CHICAGO that I am sure will delight Palo Alto Players' audiences!"

Scott's expertise goes well beyond her role as professor, with a resume that spans decades of summer stock, dinner theatre, regional theatre, industrials and film. Throughout her impressive career, she has had the opportunity to work directly with many musical theatre greats including Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Trevor Nunn, and Michael Bennett. She was seen in the original National and International touring companies of A Chorus Line, as well as the Broadway production of Peter Pan, as Wendy opposite Sandy Duncan's Peter Pan. After working on the Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along, she joined the original LA Company of Cats. In 2002, she returned to New York to perform in the 20th Anniversary production of Merrily We Roll Along, under the direction of Tony Award­winning director Kathleen Marshall.

The CHICAGO cast includes:

Velma Kelly: Janelle LaSalle (Santa Clara)
Roxie Hart: Elizabeth Santana (San Jose)
Billy Flynn: Michael Monagle (San Francisco)
Matron "Mama" Morton: Jennifer Taylor Daniels (Santa Cruz)
Mary Sunshine: Robert Sanchez (San Francisco)
Amos Hart: Joey McDaniel (Menlo Park)
MC/Fred Casely: Mohamed Ismail (Palo Alto)

Female Ensemble: Tara Harte (Sunnyvale), Jennifer Hernandez (San Jose), Daron O'Donnell (San Jose), Kathryn Petak (San Jose), Angelique Shepherd (San Jose) and Laura Warner (Pacifica)

Male Ensemble: Marc Gonzalez (South San Francisco), Zendrex Llado (Santa Cruz), Shahil Patel (Fremont), Robert Read (Milpitas), Michael Saenz (Cupertino) and Terrance Saffold, Jr. (San Jose)

The production features direction and choreography by Janie Scott, musical direction by Katie Coleman, scenic design by Patrick Klein assisted by scenic artist Paulino Deleal, costume design by Jeff Hamby, lighting design by Nick Kumamoto, sound design by Grant Huberty, properties design by Pat Tyler, hair and makeup design by Jessica Ellithorpe, technical direction by Janny Cote, and stage management by Jeff Grafton.

Opening night for CHICAGO is Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 8 p.m., and the show runs through September 27, 2015. There is also a paid preview performance on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 8 p.m. Performance times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

Ticket prices range from $35 to $49. Senior, student, and military discounts are available only for performances on Thursday and Friday evenings and Sunday matinees. Special discounts of 20-­25% for groups of 10 or more are also available.

On Opening Night, Saturday, September 12, enjoy a post­show reception with complimentary drinks and appetizers while meeting the cast. Complimentary with the purchase of a ticket for that evening's performance.

Enjoy our Talkback series with Artistic Director Patrick Klein, Show Director and Choreographer Janie Scott, and members of the cast following the performances on Thursday, September 17 and Thursday, September 24. Complimentary with the purchase of a ticket for any performance.

For tickets, call 650.329.0891or visit www.PAplayers.org.

In cooperation with The City of Palo Alto, CHICAGO and the shows of the 85Season of Palo Alto Players are produced at the Lucie Stern Theater located at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, California. Use of this facility is made possible through support from The City of Palo Alto, Community Services Department, Division of Arts and Sciences, and from our patrons.

Founded in 1931, Palo Alto Players is the San Francisco Peninsula's first theatre company. Based at the Lucie Stern Theater, built explicitly for the Players in 1933, Palo Alto Playersproduces a season of comedies, dramas, classics, and musicals from September to June. Audiences and participants come from all over the Bay Area to be a part of Palo Alto Players' productions. Palo Alto Playersis committed to providing a meaningful theatre experience for both audience and production participants. Intrinsic in this is the belief that theatre benefits the community­at­large and enhances the quality of life of those who are touched by it through education, enlightenment, and enrichment. Palo Alto Playersis a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established for public benefit.

Pictured: Janelle LaSalle as Velma Kelly and Elizabeth Santana as Roxie Hart. Photo by Joyce Goldschmid.

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