The Plant Theatre Company put on four performances of the Broadway musical “Chicago” Nov. 1-3. “Chicago” is a musical about life in the 1920s, based on the real-life 1924 murder trials of two women.   

“It is fun to be a part of ‘Chicago’ because I made new friends, got to dance and got to be a part of one of my favorite movies,” sophomore Kathryn Ellwanger, who is part of the female ensemble, said.  

Junior Katherine Edgar played one of the leading roles as Roxie Hart, an extravagant criminal accused of murdering Fred Casely, who she is accused of cheating on her husband with.  

“It was really crazy, but it was so much fun,” Edgar said. “It was a good bonding experience, and I got so much out of it. I made so many friends as well.”  

There are 27 performers in the full production of the musical.  

“I thought it was really good,” sophomore Sloan Frick, who saw the final performance, said. “I was really impressed at how professional it was, and it didn’t seem like just a bunch of high schoolers.”  

Sophomore Blase Roque was a male dancer and part of the male singing ensemble.  

“It was a great experience for me because I had to learn a lot of dances that really tested by ability as an ensemble member,” Roque said. “I got to be in a lot of the big numbers which was really fun. Since a major theme in ‘Chicago’ is sex, I had to learn how to be comfortable with my body as well as comfortable with my dance partners in some numbers. Overall, it was a really great and fun experience.” 

Senior Logan Franke played Velma Kelly, a notorious criminal accused of murdering her husband and sister after catching them in an affair.  

“This is the first time I’ve had a lead role where I’ve had to do very intense dances,” Franke said. “It was really tough for me, but it helped me become a better, well-rounded actress.” 

Junior Jason Calzon played Billy Flynn, a manipulative lawyer who turns criminals into celebrities to put them at an advantage in court.   

“Being a main role in such a big production has honestly changed me as an actor,” Calzon said. “Playing such an important character has helped me get better and learn how to play a strong role like this.”  

Theater director Dan Franke found mold caused by an old air conditioner in his office, the auditorium and the prop storage room in August. The clean-up of the mold set their rehearsal schedule back for Chicago, as they could not use their props, lights or costumes.  

“It was at the same time one of the more intense and difficult productions we’ve done here, and the kids did an unbelievable job working through lots of adversity,” Franke said. “The kids did a stellar job, and I’m so proud of their hard work.”