1920’s vaudeville hits the stage in ‘Chicago’

MARQUETTE — The Windy City is coming to Marquette in the form of an iconic musical.

Chicago is coming to the stage of the Forest Roberts Theatre. It follows the story of Roxie Hart, who murders her husband in Chicago in the 1920s. Hart becomes rivals with vaudeville star Velma Kelly as the two of them vie for attention from their lawyer in jail.

“The show is presented as vaudeville, so there’s a lot of actors coming out and singing directly to the audience and it’s done more as a show then as a realistic dramatic portrayal,” director Ansley Valentine said.

“It is an iconic show, it’s been done and remade a thousand times so I’m so excited that Northern is getting a chance to put their own spin on it,” NMU senior Taylor Kulju, who plays Mona, said.

NMU chose the musical because of the production’s choreography and have an opportunity to showcase the school’s newly created dance minor. The dancing and choreography is one of the highlights of the musical.

“It’s very sexy and jazzy and we’re all just having fun out there and the dance moves are super great and super sexy…so it’s fun,” Kulju said.

“There’s going to be some aerial silk and circus performances that’s been included in the show so it’s pretty neat to watch,” Valentine said.

Chicago premiers Wednesday night at 7:30 and runs through Saturday. Tickets are $15 for the public and $10 for students, and they can be purchased online or at any NMU-EZ Ticket outlet.