Live Theatre Returns to Stratford's Festival Theatre Today With CHICAGO

Today the Stratford Festival is welcoming audiences back to its iconic Festival Theatre with the first performance of the great Kander and Ebb musical Chicago.

This spectacular, all new production is directed and choreographed by Donna Feore, with Music Director Franklin Brasz, Set Designer Michael Gianfrancesco, Costume Designer Dana Osborne, Lighting Designer Michael Walton and Sound Designer Peter McBoyle.

"For our Festival's unique thrust stage I have been given the rare opportunity to completely reimagine the production," says Feore. "Chicago is a big dance show, and dance is not locked in time. We build on the foundations of masters past. Inspired by the music and the remarkable story, I am taking full advantage of the massive talents of the exceptional dancers, actors, singers and musicians of our Stratford company to create a new Chicago for us, for now."

Set in the Roaring Twenties, Chicago tells the story of an aspiring chorus girl and a fading vaudeville star as they each face trial for murder and compete for the services of a shady lawyer.

With all-new knock-'em-dead dance numbers, this landmark production of Chicago - the first major new production outside of New York and London in more than 30 years - features Dan Chameroy as Billy Flynn, Chelsea Preston as Roxie Hart, Jennifer Rider-Shaw as Velma Kelly, Sandra Caldwell as Mama Morton and Steve Ross as Amos Hart, with Robert Markus, Eric Abel, Devin Alexander, Gabriel Antonacci, Robert Ball, Devon Michael Brown, Celeste Catena, Amanda De Freitas, Tiffany Deriveau, Henry Firmston, Bonnie Jordan, Lakota Knuckle, Heather Kosik, Bethany Kovarik, Amanda Lundgren, Gracie Mack, Jordan Mah, Chad McFadden, Kyla Musselman, Stephen Patterson, Philip Seguin, Jason Sermonia, Julius Sermonia and Breanna Willis.

The production was to begin on April 6, but as a result of the current Covid surge province-wide, positive cases occurred in the cast, leading to the cancellation of three preview performances.

To keep cancellations to an absolute minimum, the Festival has more actors serving as understudies, with most covering more than one role for additional flexibility. As we pass through this unprecedented Omicron wave, we are confident that cancellations will be rare.

Chicago has its gala opening night on June 3 and runs until October 30 in the Festival Theatre. Tickets are available at stratfordfestival.ca or by calling 1.800.567.1600.

Production Co-Sponsor is RBC. Production support is generously provided by Robert & Mary Ann Gorlin, by Sylvia Soyka, and by Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen.

This production is dedicated to the memory of former company member Victor A. Young.

The 2022 season also features Hamlet, The Miser, Little Women, Richard III, All's Well That Ends Well, Death and the King's Horseman, Every Little Nookie, Hamlet-911 and 1939. For more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

Chicago
Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse

Music by John Kander

Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins

Script adaptation by David Thompson

THE CAST

In order of appearance

Velma Kelly

Jennifer Rider-Shaw

Roxie Hart

Chelsea Preston

Fred Casely

Chad McFadden

Amos Hart

Steve Ross

Sergeant Fogarty/Harrison

Stephen Patterson

Liz

Bethany Kovarik

Annie

Amanda Lundgren

June

Heather Kosik

Hunyak

Bonnie Jordan

Mona

Celeste Catena

Matron Mama Morton

Sandra Caldwell

Billy Flynn

Dan Chameroy

Mary Sunshine

R. Markus

Go-To-Hell Kitty

Amanda De Freitas

Harry

Devon Michael Brown

Trumpet Player

Philip Seguin

Aaron

Gabriel Antonacci

Judge

Robert Ball

Bailiff

Henry Firmston

Court Clerk
Jordan Mah

Juror

Eric Abel

POLICEMEN, GANGSTERS, WAITERS, REPORTERS, CELL BLOCK DANCERS, BILLY DANCERS, RAZZLE DAZZLE DANCERS

Eric Abel, Gabriel Antonacci, Robert Ball, Devon Michael Brown, Celeste Catena, Amanda De Freitas, Henry Firmston, Bonnie Jordan, Heather Kosik, Bethany Kovarik, Amanda Lundgren, Gracie Mack, Jordan Mah, Chad McFadden, Stephen Patterson, Jason Sermonia, Julius Sermonia

SWINGS

Devin Alexander

Lakota Knuckle

Kyla Musselman

Breanna Willis

UNDERSTUDIES

E. Abel Mary Sunshine

Gabriel Antonacci Billy Flynn

Tiffany Deriveau Matron Mama Morton

Bonnie Jordan Velma Kelly

Heather Kosik Roxie Hart

Stephen Patterson Amos Hart

ARTISTIC CREDITS

Director Donna Feore

Choreographer Donna Feore

Music Director Franklin Brasz

Set Designer Michael Gianfrancesco

Costume Designer Dana Osborne

Lighting Designer Michael Walton

Sound Designer Peter McBoyle

Supervising Fight Director Geoff Scovell

Producer David Auster

Casting Director Beth Russell

Creative Planning Director Jason Miller

Associate Director Stephan Dickson

Associate Choreographer Stephan Dickson

Assistant Choreographer Jason Sermonia

Assistant Set and Costume Designers Joshua Quinlan, Mary-Jo Carter Dodd

Assistant Lighting Designers Alia Stephen, Sruthi Suresan, Imogen Wilson

Assistant Sound Designer Adam Campbell

Dance Captain Julius Sermonia

Fight Captain Gabriel Antonacci

Aerial Consultant Nicole Smith, Cirquesmith

Cultural Consultant Justin Miller

Stage Manager Cynthia Toushan

Assistant Stage Managers Krista Blackwood, Tiffany Fraser

Apprentice Stage Manager Caitlin Mears

Production Assistant Ciaran Brenneman

Production Stage Manager Elizabeth McDermott

Technical Director Robbin Cheesman