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Show i ' f' & j 4f :rf - '' " ' ' ' : . , I" t.-lY J- . l rtfe"?.J..- Better not fool with the deadly Roxie Hart (Leslie Lliykeil) . photos by David Hampshire The male chorus of "Chicago" is stirred to song by the sight of Val ThurneH's knee. The singers are ( from left) Vince DeSimone, Collyn Adamson, Norm Nelson, Gary Allen and Joel Smith. PCP's rowdy production of 'Chicago' is a natural for director Susan Jarman y m , i V )) ; J'. I t by RICK BROUGH Record staff writer The Park City Performances (PCP) production of "Chicago,'.' directed by Susan Jarman, is a bawdy show, " with language that isn't modest and characters who aren't afraid to expose themselves. Perhaps the last time PCP did such a rough-edged show was in the spring of 1982, when it produced "Cabaret." Come to think of it, Susan Jarman was.the director of-that show r But director Jarman said, "I don't conser" 'Sfny&lf ' 'drf ' lexhibii8hist: " She preferred to see another common denominator in the two shows. Both "Cabaret" and "Chicago" "Chi-cago" are large-scale shows with large casts. And they demand a versatile director. Jarman acknowledged, ' ' I can sing and dance and act and teach." (The proof is in the pudding; "Cabaret," for instance, was one of PCP's best productions. "Chicago" is about the torrid 1920s and is centered around a jailful of women who shot the men (sometimes women) who done them wrong. Roxie (Leslie Luyken), the newest arrival in the slammer, shot a lover who tossed her over. Her chief rival is Velma Kelly (Val Thurnell), who had an acrobatic act with her sister until she saw Sis trying out one of the acrobatic positions with a lover. Later at the trial, she said she blacked out and "didn't remember anything until she 9 was,. ., wiping ,.,heL, blood;, from her , hands. 1 ' ' 1 These two compete for publicity, and there's a horde of Yellow Journalists ready to help them out. Leslie Luyken and Val Thurnell have few rivals for their appearances in Park City theater. Between them, they have a truckload of credits, including (for Luyken) "Godspell," "This is the Place" and "Peter Pan" and (for Thurnell) "Side by Side by Sondheim," "Charlie Brown" and "Music Man." Clyde Nelson plays the opportunistic opportun-istic lawyer Billy Flynn. Nelson's last role on the Egyptian stage was quite different. He was upright bishop Rulon Pratt in "This is the Place." Another featured player is Mike Robinson, who plays Roxie' s neglected ne-glected husband Ambrose. Ironically, Ironical-ly, Jarman said, Robinson's role was concentrated in a few scenes, so a great deal of rehearsal time did not involve him. He became, the. neglected man offstage as well as on..', "He understands," she said. " 1 "v- Jarman said she made one change to the play by casting one actor in three roles. Tom Willett was cast as two cads shot dead by their women and in addition plays the emcee who presides over the story. Despite all the violence in the story, you won't hear gunshots. That's another change Jarman made. "I've always been offended by blanks. So when one of the women fires a gun, she turns to the band, which is on stage, and says 'Hit it.' And the drummer gives us rim shots." The stage crew will also be on stage, in costume, to make changes to the simple, but expressionistic set designed by Cory Dangerfield. After eight weeks of rehearsal, Jarman is optimistic about the show and glows when discussing her cast. "It's the best group I've ever worked with up here. Each is so unique looking.- They have so much individual initiative,' and they're starting to see all the fun they can have with the roles." With comments like that, "Chicago" "Chi-cago" promises to be the hottest time in the old town since the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. "Chicago" opens on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m., continues on June 8 and plays June 13-15. Admission is $5.50. The jail matron, (Karen Ballard, right) lays down the law to deathrow inmate played by Franci Eisenberg. |