Chicago, the musical entailing the rise to fame of the wanna-be vaudeville star Roxie Hart, is being performed on the 12, 13, and 14 of January in the Dr. Doyle Dean Performing Arts Center. Getting a sneak peak at their dress rehearsal, I can definitely say that this is the best high school performed musical I have seen-even with its flaws. And it should be; the production cost nearly $30,000 in expenses.

I would first like to commend theatre director Gregory Arp for having the bravery to let his students perform this musical. I considered this to be a very racy performance for high school standard. If you are offended by short-shorts, mild language, and sexually suggestive dancing in a story about “murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery”, perhaps this isn’t the performance you should set about to see. However, if you would like to see the hard work and dedication put into this play by your peers, and wouldn’t mind seeing an awesome show either, you should get around to going.

It never ceases to amaze me how actors can memorize lines, lyrics, and choreography to a whole show, especially while they are still in high school maintaining their other school-work at the same time. The effort put into this show is unbelievable. There were several times during the show when I couldn’t believe that a high school theatre would have the ability or the organization to coordinate some of the things they did, and this is what gave the show its depth. No detail has been over looked, from the choreography to the awesome “Cell Block Tango” set, to the lights. Even the foyer of the building was decorated and chandeliers were hung to give that “first-rate performance” feeling.

Overall, I would highly recommend this show to all students who actually enjoy musicals. It could be lengthy and hard to sit through if you don’t care for a good musical number, but for those who do: it is definitely worth the ten bucks.