Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel staging ‘Chicago: Teen Edition’
Share this post:
In the mood for some “Razzle Dazzle”?
Shady Side Academy is presenting “Chicago: Teen Edition” at the Senior School on Feb. 17-19, that features show-stoppers like “All that Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango.”
Set in Roaring Twenties Chicago, the musical centers on chorine Roxie Hart, played by senior Sloane Simon of Fox Chapel, who murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, played by junior Jack Engel of Fox Chapel to take the rap. When he finds out he’s been duped, Roxie’s convicted and sent to death row, where she and another “Merry Murderess,” Velma Kelly, played by senior Elaine Gombos of O’Hara Township, vie for the spotlight and headlines, ultimately joining forces with fast-talking lawyer Billy Flynn, played by senior Aidan Adams of Marshall Township.
“The last note of each song, my lungs weren’t built for it,” said Adams, 17, for whom physics, statistics, economics, and calculus, constitute a four-way tie for favorite subject. “I’ve gotten a lot better over time, but it still takes a lot out of me. Literally.”
Singer-songwriter Simon, a season 19 contestant on “American Idol,” will attend New York University’s Clive Davis Institute, majoring in music industry.
“Roxie is a very active role with a lot of singing and dancing, but she’s also a very complex character,” she said. “It has been a challenge to put all of the components of the show together, but an absolute delight to work with my cast mates!”
Gombos, 17, who grew up in China, was nominated for a Gene Kelly Award for her performance in SSA’s production two years ago of “Now. Here. This.”
“Velma is such an icon!” she said. “But, that comes with its pressures as well. Personally, I think that she and I have very different personalities, so it has been a challenge exploring the depths of her character beneath her façade.”
Simon, Gombos and Adams are part of a cast, crew and pit orchestra that feature 80 Senior School students in grades 9-12. Other featured roles are filled by junior Kayla Zhu of O’Hara as Matron “Mama” Morton, and sophomore Kevin Polke of Fox Chapel as Fred Casely.
Featured “Merry Murderess” dancers include sophomore dance captain Sophia Gombos of O’Hara as Liz; freshman Lily Toma of Edgewood as Annie; junior Sarah Grand of Leet Township, as June; junior Abby Ondos, of Marshall as Hunyak and junior Madeira Semins of Squirrel Hill as Mona. Twenty-three other students are in the ensemble and dance cast.
Senior Ayli Davidson of Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats is the stage manager, and sophomore Jeffrey Brunner of Ross and Tommy Kann of Fox Chapel are the assistant stage managers. Twenty-nine other students are in the crew, and 14 student musicians play in the pit orchestra.
Performances are ad 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17-18 and 2 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Richard E. Rauh Theater of the Hillman Center for Performing Arts on the Senior School campus, 423 Fox Chapel Road.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and can be purchased at www.shadysideacademy.org/theater or at the door. Content is suitable for ages 12 and up.
SSA Senior School Performing Arts Chair Dek Ingraham is the show’s director, music teacher Jeff Gross is music director, music teacher Ian Hughes is orchestra director, staff member Amanda Olmstead is dance choreographer, staff member Austin Davidheiser is technical director and production designer, and SSA graduate Tron McConnell is shop coordinator.