By Ally O’Reilly, Staff Writer
Reynolds Auditorium will be given the old “Razzle Dazzle” when the popular musical “Chicago” hits the stage for opening night on Thursday (March 20).
Performing the show is quite the privilege for the Reynolds theater department, as a small number of groups actually get the rights to put on the production.
“I applied for the rights and I got an email back that said, ‘Just want you to know that 75 percent of the people who apply for rights don’t get them,’ ” Reynolds drama teacher and “Chicago” director Linda Moody said. “So, I was a bit worried about that. But then within about two weeks I got the email to say, ‘Yes, you can have the rights.’ ”
The students participating in the production recognize the great opportunity they’ve received, and they also view that as a bit of a challenge.
“This is such a well-known show that a lot of people have a lot of expectations for it, (but) I think the finished product will be great and I think we have a wonderful cast,” said sophomore Madeline Saintsing, who takes on the leading role of Velma.
Another challenge the cast and crew have faced is the inconsistent weather North Carolina has received in the past few months.
“The biggest challenge with getting the show ready has been all of the snow days that popped up these past few months,” sophomore ensemble member Emily Morgan said. “We’ve missed many valuable days of rehearsal, so we’re definitely required to step our game up in order to make this the best show it can be.”
The show plays Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7. Tickets will be $7 at the door. Members of the cast and crew have even spent their nights and weekends at Reynolds, putting in hours of tireless singing, dancing and acting.
“I’ve definitely taken some time out of other things like school and some social activity,” said senior Gary Freedman, who plays the lawyer Billy Flynn in the show. “And sleep. Lots of sleep.”
The rehearsals aren’t just tiring and work-filled, though. Putting together a musical is a great opportunity for the cast, crew and teachers to do what they love and get to know each other better.
“My favorite part of rehearsal is dancing… and spending time with people who have swag,” freshman ensemble member Grace Manning said.
Spending time with each other has been important to everyone, but especially Saintsing, who is taking on a lead role for the first time. She’s learned it’s a whole different animal than being in the ensemble.
“Doing this show has taught me a lot about what it takes to lead a cast like this and handle the pressure of being a lead. I’ve had a few times where I’ve doubted myself, but the whole cast and crew have been really supportive,” Saintsing said. “I’ve also learned about what kind of work ethic it takes to really be a successful actor. You have to be really strict with yourself because it’s easy to be lazy.”
That couldn’t happen with this satirical look at criminals and America’s celebrity culture. The audience is in for a treat.
“This will probably be one of Reynolds’ best productions yet,” Freedman said.