Thank you for being here! We are thriled to be back sharing and celebrating the joy of live theatre! This years production combined the talents of several students, faculty and staff. We couldn't have done this iconic production without the help of the Broughton community and beyond!
A special thank you to the parents of the cast, crew and orchestra. Thank you for the late night pick-ups, rehearsal snacks, support and endless love! We couldn't do it without you! We would also like to thank...
-Theatre Raleigh, Enloe High School and Fuquay-Varina High School
-Broughton custodians, faculty and staff
-Dianne Britt, Cathy Holland, Lauren and Charlie Brady, Eric Collins, Charlie Raschke, Julie Bradley and Meg Tate for your help in all of the ways!
-Marc Ridel for production photography and design
-2022 Auditorium Capital Campaign Donors
-A special thank you to Dr. Elena Ashurn and the Broughton Admin Team
-The parents of the cast, crew, and orchestra for all their support!
Broughton Seniors- Thank you for your commitment, passion, energy and leadership through the last four years and especially in the creation of Chicago. Enjoy your final bow in the Diane Payne Auditorium and we cannot wait to be front row center for all of your stages in the future. Razzle Dazzle 'Em! We are SO proud of you!
-Performing Arts Faculty
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A note from our dramaturg...
Beautiful and Stylish: Roxy and Velma
What do you get when you mix Chicago’s Jazz Age of 1920s, 5 pretty murderesses of Cook County Jail, newspaper sensationalism, and America’s fascination with capital crimes? Chicago The Musical!
Welcome to our Cell Block Tango:
A common question asked about Chicago is if it is based on real events, and it is! Chicago the musical is based on a play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins by the same name, which originally was written and performed in 1926. Maurine Dallas Watkins was a female reporter for the Chicago Tribune and reported about the 6 murderesses who were on Cook County Jail’s “Murderess Row” in the 1920s. Only 1 of the 6 women was sentenced to death by hanging, Sabella Nitti. Mrs. Nitti was described as an ”ugly animal; dumb, crouching, animal-like Italian peasant” by the prosecutor and a female journalist in 1923 as her first trial was underway. Sabella Nitti is the person on whom “The Hungarian” in “Cell Block Tango” is based. The other women in “Cell Block Tango” are based on the other 5 lovely, young murderesses who were on “Murderess Row”. Roxy Hart and Velma Kelly’s characters are based on the murderesses, Burelah Annan (Roxy) and Belva Gaertner (Velma).
Chicago the musical is the 2nd longest-running show on Broadway, and the 1996 revival of Chicago the musical was the longest running revival of a show in Broadway’s history. In 1997 the revival of Chicago the musical won several Tony and Drama Desk Awards: Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Revival, Best Lighting Design, and Best Choreography, to name a few.
In the 1960s, after reading Watkins play, Chicago, Gwen Verdon fell in love with the play and asked her partner, Bob Fosse, to adapt the play into a musical. It was not until after Ms. Watkins’ death in 1969 that Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, and Bob Fryer bought the rights from her estate and adapted the play into the highly successful musical, Chicago.
Chicago the play was also made into a 1927 silent film produced by Cecil B. De Mille, a 1942 movie called, Roxy Hart, and the 2002 version of the musical starring Catherine Zeta- Jones and Renee Zellweger, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2002.
So . . . Get ready to be “Razzle Dazzled”!!
-Kelly Buynitzky
