Goodbye ‘Chicago’

By Taylor Landcaster

The cold sting of Fred Casely’s backhand struck Roxie’s cheek, sending ripples down her neck.

He came towards her like a mad man, and she fought with all the strength she could muster. And when he reached for the gun in her bureau, she reached faster, grabbing it and firing three rounds into Fred Casely’s torso and head. She acted in defense of herself; completely understandable.

“We Both Reached For The Gun” was my personal favorite musical number that the talented cast and crew over at Georgia College’s Department of Theatre and Dance performed in their rendition of Chicago.

Every aspect of the show, from the dancing choreographed by Amelia Pelton, to the lights designed by Phillip Wray, to the live music performed by the Georgia College Jazz Band, blew me away. This show pushed the boundaries of what has been performed before at GC, from the massive several step set, large enough to hold the entire Jazz Band eight feet in the air, to the rope lights at the bottom of each step individually controlled by light designer Phillip Wray.

The countless hours that the cast and crew of the show have put into the production was apparent by the fluidity of each scene.

“I can tell the performers put in an insane amount of work, because everything ran so smoothly,” Rebecca Gaylor, senior psychology major said. “I was amazed at how great everyone sounded, especially Velma. I have no idea how she sang so well while doing those routines.”

Gaylor said she would like to personally high five everyone involved with the production because they did such a great job.

“The dancing was my favorite part,” Max Spehr, sophomore computer science major, said. “I know they worked really hard on that, just to be able to remember everything that they had to do, I thought was amazing.”

Spehr thinks that the cast and crew were able to tap into the spirit of the 1920s through the outfits and hair styles. From the reporter’s grey suits, to Velma and Roxie’s sparkling sequin dresses, each outfit was crafted to represent a time when flappers were all the rage, and women could easily razzle dazzle a jury.

“I think compared to all the shows I’ve seen so far, this was the best,” Spehr said.

Jessica McQuain, a senior English major, would agree with Spehr. Chicago is her favorite musical, and she says that if she could say anything to the cast of the show, she would ask for a private performance for her birthday. “I was so impressed with them. It was so great. I loved the interaction between the cast, it all seemed to move so fluidly.

The Georgia College Department of Theatre and Dance has done it again, and this time, we had it coming. We had it coming all along. If you’da been there, if you’da seen it, how could you tell me that I was wrong?