Chicago is coming to Southern Maryland. The stage is set at Patuxent High School, in Lusby, for this highly anticipated satire musical. It will commence this Friday night, April 14, 2023.
“This show is a remounting of our first attempt back in 2020 when the pandemic shut the show down two weeks before opening night,” stated Allen Price, who will be directing his 28th show. “Our real challenge was recreating the show to be new and original for the students involved but also honoring the original group and their work,” said Price.
This challenge has been gladly accepted by this year’s Senior laden group of talented and passionate actors and actresses: “Roxie” by Julia Atwell, “Velma” by Micah Estep, “Billy” by Zachary Leclerc, “Mary Sunshine” by Bell Mills, “Mamma Morten” by Lilly Windsor.
This is the same group that earned remarkable results at the State Festival competition this year, scoring a “superior,” the highest score that one may earn in 19 of their 41 scenes, monologues, musical solos, duets, and short films that they brought to be adjudicated; the second closest group had 8.
I visited the Patuxent High School Auditorium with the idea in mind to take a couple of photographs of the set and go on about my day.
After taking the photos for a few minutes, I put my camera away and observed in appreciation. I began to marvel at the talent level of these young performers, the music, and the stage, so I decided to stay for a few more minutes. A few minutes turned into an hour and twenty minutes of being awe-struck and, in the moment, only wishing for popcorn and a refreshment. And this was only rehearsal.
Chicago has all of the components for a brilliant and entertaining show, and one you don’t want to miss. For information on times and dates or to purchase your tickets, visit: www.patuxentharlequins.weebly.com.