It’s late, it’s cold, it’s a weeknight, and while most students are home doing homework or watching TV, the cast of Chicago is in the auditorium, crowded around the piano.  With bold stage lights beaming on their backs, they run their dances while singing the songs of the 70s production.  There is not a minute to spare from warming up their voices to actually running through the play from the time rehearsal begins to when the curtain closes.

The Pascack Hills Drama club is back again performing their spring musical, Chicago, from February, 28, to March, 3.  “Our whole play is about us going to jail for killing our husbands, but what makes it so interesting is that everyone has their own backstory” Riley Solomon said.

Solomon plays the role of Huntak, an innocent hungarian woman accused of murder. This is one of the many reasons Chicago is like a play Hill has never done before.

“This play is different than anything we’ve done, it was written in the mid seventies so the style is different than the modern shows conducted in the last twenty years.  That attitude and the tone of the show is different and there is much more dancing than in the last play, It’s a lot of work but I love it and I love the numbers i’m in”.

The cast and crew work cooperatively for several weeks to put the show together. Freshman Kelly Quinn is a part of the stage crew.

“The schedule or an average crew member isn’t bad, but when the show starts coming up, crew work is very demanding.  We have to be there from maybe three to five hours after school and sometimes more” Quinn says.

The members of stage crew are as much of a vital aspect as the cast.  Crew works together for hours on their knees with paintbrushes in their hands putting together the backdrops and props.  Crew is needed for more and more as the show comes closer and closer to opening night and sound, lights, and visuals would not be possible without them.  

Introducing… the cast and crew of Chicago! Come and see their hard work pay off when the curtains open on February, 28.  

“In my opinion, the play is a really nice opportunity to get to know the upperclassmen and socialize with others as well.  My experience has been really nice so far and I’m looking forward to many other shows in the future” Quinn says.