Murder. Drama. Music. Chicago The Musical truly has is all. The Pascack Hills Players will be performing this show from February 28 through March 3.

Broadway.com summarizes the musical well saying, “Set in the legendary city during the roaring “jazz hot” 20s, Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail. Nightclub star Velma’s serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two in bed together. Driven chorus girl Roxie’s been tossed in the joint for bumping off the lover she’s been cheating on her husband with. Not one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and slickster lawyer Billy Flynn, who turn Velma’s incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback. But Roxie’s got some of her own tricks up her sleeve…”

Velma is being played by senior Ellie Falanga. She is very excited for Chicago and says, “I’m most excited for putting the whole show together. During the rehearsal process, we do everything in pieces-dancing, singing, blocking, etc-. In a few weeks or so once we learn all of the choreography and music, we’ll start putting everything together, which is my absolute favorite part of the whole process because it is when the show really takes shape!”

Ellie, along with the rest of the cast, truly encourages all students and staff to attend the show. “People should come to see the show not only because it is a classic but because it is unlike any PHHS show we’ve done in the past few years. The show encapsulates the true meaning of theater- it is not just a singing and acting production but, rather, every person on stage is a triple threat, giving all who watch it a true musical theater experience,” she said. Her favorite song from the show is the opening number, All the Jazz, as she says it really sets the tone for the rest of the show.

Roxie is played by freshman Christina Priestner. Her favorite number from the show is either We Both Reached for the Gun or Roxie. “We Both Reached for the Gun such a fun number. This is the point in the show for the press conference interviewing Roxie and Mr. Billy Flynn uses Roxie as a dummy to tell her story. It’s such a hilarious number and the dancing is so much fun! Plus it looks even better from the audience! And Roxie is just so fun to act out and to really show who Roxie truly is,” she said.

Similar to Ellie, she hopes the Hills community will come out and support the show. “I’m most excited for it all to be put together on stage. I think it’s such an amazing show and once costumes, tech, set, and everything is complete it’s going to all come together to be something really special. I’m so excited to just be performing this type of show!

People should come see this show for every single aspect of it. Down to every single detail Chicago is an iconic and fun musical to watch. It is comedic and fascinating at the same time ranging from the tight choreography to We Both Reached for the Gun. Even so, people should come to see this just because the PHHS players are going to put on an amazing show,” she said.

Mama Morton is played by sophomore Yemie Woo. Her favorite song in the show is Mr. Cellophane. When it comes to the show, she says “I am most excited to dance! The show is very dynamic in that it has all three elements seen in musical theatre: dancing, singing, and acting. This is the first show that I’ve done at Hills that has all three, so I am very excited.”

Chicago has everything a great musical needs and it seems that all actors and actresses are beyond excited to see all their hard work pay off this spring. Tickets can be pre-ordered, so be sure to check your email to take advantage of the lowered prices!