2022-23 Musical is…

Written By: Molly Spence

On December 22, 2022, the Marion Center Jr./Sr. High School had their spring musical meeting. So, stop popping your gum and listen up!  The musical this year is… CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION. Chicago has been honored with 6 Tony Awards, 2 Oliver Awards, a Grammy, and lots of standing ovations with over 8,000 performances to date. CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION is one of the most popular productions at high schools across the country. 

CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION is a satirical musical with origins in real-life, high-profile crimes and trials of the 1920s and pokes fun at the idea of “celebrity criminals.” Set in the roaring twenties, Prohibition-era Chicago, the story follows a young Roxie Hart & Velma Kelly. It starts when Roxie commits a murder and convinces her husband, Amos to take the blame. When Amos finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie, she is convicted and sent to death row where she stays with other “Merry Murderesses” of the Cook County Jail. Roxie and another “Merry Murderess,” Velma Kelly, compete for the spotlight, fame, and headlines. Along the way, Roxie is defended by a young Billy Flynn, who is played by Marion Center’s Dillon Green. In the end, Roxie and Velma join forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune, and acquittal. With famous songs like “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango,” audiences have continued to love the music, dancing, and razzle dazzle of the show for decades. The leading ladies are portrayed by Marion Center’s own powerhouse singers, seniors Maddie Buffone and Allison Yeomans.

Mrs. Chellise Stolarz, the director, comments, “I am so excited to take on a different genre and put this production together. It’s always a great feeling to see it all come together – from the 1st read through to the full production. One of my favorite things about directing the shows is to see how far all of the students are going to go through the production process! Chicago is such an iconic musical and to have a teen version available is amazing! To have a cast of students that are able to perform this difficult show is a once-in-a-career opportunity and I’m so excited for it! We have a great production staff & a huge group of students involved, so it’s sure to be a great time.” Helping Stolarz along the way are Miss Kara Kutsch and Miss Caitlin Kalgren as assistant directors, and Miss Brooke Henshaw as the choreographer. The show is planned to be on March 17th, 18th, and 19th. Come support Marion Center’s budding stars in this entertaining production about murder, betrayal, fame and All That Jazz! Best of luck to everyone in the show and wishing all of our senior performers to have an amazing and memorable last performance at Marion Center as well as the best of luck in your bright futures.