February 3-26, 2012
Chicago
by John Kander & Fred Ebb
Fri & Sat at 8pm, Sun Feb 12, 19 & 26 at 2pm
Tickets: $25 adults/$20 students/seniors/educators

Set in prohibition-era Chicago when gin joints, fast cars and glamorous murderesses were all the rage, Chicago originally opened on Broadway in 1975 and is the longest running Broadway musical revival. Roxie Hart is a small-time chorus dancer married to the gullible Amos. Unknown to Amos, Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley, who promises to make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far, and Roxie murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly, a sexy vaudeville star, murderess, and Queen Bee of the tabloid rags. Roxie hires Velma’s lawyer Billy Flynn, and soon Roxy and Velma are battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. SecondStory audiences will thoroughly enjoy Chicago’s hit-packed score, with songs like the “Cell Block Tango”, “Razzle Dazzle” and “All That Jazz” as well as the renowned choreography of Bob Fosse. Enjoy a drink as you watch SecondStory transform into your local speakeasy for this fantastic show.

THE CAST

Erika Zabelle (Roxie) is delighted to be making her debut with SecondStory Repertory in one of her favorite shows! Spending the past two summers perfecting her CANCAN in Skagway, AK and also recently flying high and sprinkling fairy dust on everyone as Peter Pan, she is excited for the change of pace that is Chicago. When she's not locked behind bars she loves knitting, making pie, and adding to her mis-matched dish collection. A very bottom-of-my-heart thank you to my friends and family for their love and support. Enjoy the show! 

Buddy Mahoney (Amos) is thrilled to be back at SecondStory Rep, having previously been in Laughter on the 23rd Floor and Urinetown.  He was last seen in Renton Civic Theater's fall production of The Mystery of Irma Vep.  Other favorite roles have been as Roger De Bris in Seattle Musical Theatre's production of The Producers and playing 11 characters in ArtsWest's production of A Tuna Christmas.  Buddy has worked with amazing artists from Savannah, GA to Seattle and many points in between, from Village Theatre, 14/48: The World's Quickest Theater Festival and The Seattle Men's Chorus.  He would like to thank them all for being a part of a whimsical dream!  Thanks also to everyone involved with Chicago for making it shine.  And much love and thanks to family and friends here, there and looking down from above.  "Hope I didn't take up too much of your time!"

Carissa Meisner Smit (Velma) is so pleased to make her debut with SSR in such a fabulous show.  Favorite performances include Patsy Price (Christmas Belles, The Phoenix Theatre), Rose (Enchanted April, Adagio Players), The Vagina Monologues (The VaWa Sisterhood), Bertha Mason (Jane Eyre, SMT), and Lisa (Private Eyes, Skye Performing Arts).  An area director and choreographer, Carissa also runs the Alternative Stages program at The Driftwood Players.  Thank you for supporting live theater!

Tambre Massman (Mama) This is Tambre's first show at SSR and she is thrilled work with such a great company in such a fun role.  Tambre hails from the mountains of Montana and her favorite roles include Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd" and Sister Hubert in "Nunsense".  She would like to send her thanks and love to her parents for being the most amazing people she knows; thanks, Nisi and Bri!

Kate Kingery (Co-Choreographer, Ensemble) is overjoyed to be performing in and co-choreographing her first show with SSR! After being introduced to musicals as a child in Denver, CO, Kate earned a BA in Music from Carleton College (MN), discovered dance in Chicago, and was drawn to Seattle. When not singing and dancing, she plays ultimate frisbee all over the world with Seattle Riot! Favorite Roles: Anna in The King and I, Annie in Chicago (SMT), Lenore & Dance Cpt in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Theatre Northwest), Soupy Sue in Urinetown (TMP), Rosalind in Much Ado About Nothing (Hedgerow, PA). Favorite Choreography/Directing projects: The King's Proposal (SMT), Oliver! (Northwest Savoyards), Nunsense (Redwood Theatre) Charlie Brown (Eastlake HS), Zombie Prom (EHS) and On The Town (Carleton College). Special thanks to my housemates (for putting up with all the furniture moving to facilitate choreography in the living room), Dave (for working lifts), my team, and my family for their ceaseless encouragement and support!

Julian Schrenzel (Billy) Chicago marks Julian’s second show with SSR. He is pleased to be back! Credits include Tom in Dinner with Friends (SSR), Spoletta in Tosca (Skagit Opera), Pat Denning in 42nd Street (VT), Yasha in The Cherry Orchard (Theatre 9/12) and Sky Masterson in Guys & Dolls (SMT & Springer Opera House, Columbus, GA). Thanks to beautiful Jenny for the love, support & note plunking.

Megan Tyrrell (Ensemble) holds her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Idaho (2010), and was recently an adjunct faculty member at Centralia College where she taught dance and cardio. However, her dreams are coming to fruition as she is now a new Seattleite residing in Northgate just as a couple of weeks ago! This production of Chicago is Megan’s very first SecondStory Rep appearance! Some of her favorite roles include Tilly (Melancholy Play done at StageRight Productions), That Woman (Quake), Danny/Dani (Danny and the Deep Blue Sea), Mary (Lincoln's Shins), Chorosethemis (Electra), Ensemble (Tartuffe), Cha Cha (Grease), Peter Pan (Peter Pan), Julia (The Two Gentlemen of Verona), Dana (The Sweetest Swing in Baseball), Nora (Brighton Beach Memoirs), Mollie (Stardust: A Christmas Carol), and Ginger (Stardust Serenade recently produced at Harlequin Productions in Olympia). She would like to give a thousand thanks to Chris, Paul and all of the SecondStory Rep family for giving her the opportunity to work and play in this show. But the most thanks goes to her Papa, Mama, brother and SIL for being the loveliest, most supportive family that there ever was! "I'll do so good I can!"

Slade Burgess (Ensemble) is excited to make his Seattle debut at SecondStory Repertory.  He has recently been seen all over the country singing for entertainment companies including RWS and Associates and SRO and Associates.  While attending the University of Central Oklahoma he performed at Oklahoma CityRep, Discoveryland!, and Jewel Box Theatre.  Much love and thanks to family and friends.

Ashley Coates (Ensemble) is happily making her debut at SecondStory. Most recently she appeared as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance (STAGEright Theatre). Other favorite roles include Cinderella in Into the Woods (Seattle Musical Theatre) and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (Burien Little Theatre). Much love to her family, friends and Colin.

Matt Fulbright (Ensemble) is a California native who graduated from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.  He moved to Seattle two years ago, and this is his first show with SecondStory Rep.  Matt likes Chicago.  He hopes you like it too.

Joy Yaholkovsky (Ensemble) is delighted to be making her SecondStory debut with such a fabulous show! Some favorite past productions have been The Magic Flute (Seattle Opera), Nancy, Frank & Joe (Macha Monkey), Ado Annie in Oklahoma (Kings Players), Meg in Little Women & Annie Sullivan in the Miracle Worker (The Attic Theatre).

Megan Becker (Ensemble) is so happy to once again be working with SecondStory Rep and such a talented cast. She was first seen at SecondStory as a revolutionary cow in "Click, Clack, Moo: Cow's That Type" and before that she performed with CDA Summer theater in "The Wizard of Oz" as a tree, a jitterbug, a winky, and ozian. She is really excited to finally be in a musical for adults, although she will miss the kiddos. Speaking of kiddo's, Megan is also a teacher of both dance and theater at PNB, Dancetime, The Bellevue Club, and Shoreline Community College. She has her masters from the New School for Drama in New York City where she had the opportunity to work with some of the acting industries top performers in film, television, live theater, and broadway. Megan loves to perform and be creative and would love to thank SecondStory for giving her the opportunity to do what she loves.

Anthony Pallozzi (Ensemble) is excited to be working with this amazing cast and crew; and to be  returning to the SSR stage after appearing in "Joseph...". Favorite roles; Linus "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", Houdini "Ragtime", Mark "A Chorus Line". Thanks to his friends and family for their love and support, especially to his love L.S.

Sean Maurer (Ensemble) is very excited to be on stage at SecondStory for the first time. Sean began performing at the age of 14 along the Mississippi gulf coast.  Since moving to the Seattle area in 2009, he has performed in Renton Civic Theatre's productions of Forever Plaid, Plaid Tidings, and The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge.  Some of Sean's favorite roles include: The Emcee in Cabaret, Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Frankie in Forever Plaid, and John the Witch Boy in Dark of the Moon.

Lisa Wright-Thiroux (Mary Sunshine) This is Lisa's fourth appearance on the SSR stage having appeared in; Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (Chicken), H.M.S. Pinafore (Cousin Hebe) and Urinetown (ensemble). Other favorite roles include Sarraghina in Nine (TMP), Eulalie Shinn in The Music Man (Northwest Savoyards), and Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music (Kitsap Forest Theater).

THE PRODUCTION STAFF

Christopher Nardine (Director/Co-Choreographer) has been directing, choreographing and performing throughout much of the United States for 40 years. He received his BFA in music and B.S. in education from the University of Connecticut and has taught music, dance and musical theater since 1971. Directing and choreography credits include I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Renton Civic Theatre), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and A Streetcar Named Desire (Theatre Northwest Group), Orpheus in the Underworld, The Daughter of the Regiment, Elixir of Love and A Turk in Italy (Tacoma Opera), The Merry Widow, The Gypsy Princess and Die Fledermaus (Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan), Singin' In the Rain, Once Upon a Mattress and Grease (Auburn Dinner Theatre), 110 in the Shade, Guys and Dolls and Cabaret (Seattle Musical Theatre), Cinderella (Village Theatre), Footloose, and West Side Story (Woodinville H.S.), and Hello, Dolly and Annie Get Your Gun (Tacoma Little Theatre). Chris was Artistic Director for Sapphire Productions in the 1980’s. In addition, he has staged shows for nightclubs and television, and has judged state theater competitions in Washington, Oregon and California.

Paul Linnes (Music Director) is thrilled to be making “Chicago” his SecondStory mainstage debut, having previously been music director for “Click, Clack, Moo! Cows That Type” in the Theater for Young Audiences series. Other music director engagements have included ArtsWest, the Driftwood Players Summer Teen musical, Youth Theatre Northwest and Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theatre. He has also been an orchestral programmer (creating entire soundtracks for shows solely inside his computer) for more than 5 years, a job which marries his love of music with his love of technology. Paul was also the only Resident Music Director for Seattle Musical Theatre in its history, a position created specifically for him. Upcoming engagements include “Beauty and the Beast” and “Forever Plaid”, both with SecondStory, and “Seussical Jr.” with Youth Theatre Northwest. Paul currently maintains a private voice studio and teaches voice as part of Roosevelt High School’s drama program. While performing on stage or in the studio is not something he has an opportunity to do much anymore, he loves the “intersection of disciplines” that music direction provides. Thanks to Mark and Jen for your overwhelming welcome and support!

Damon S. Muller (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working for the second time at SecondStory (the first being On Golden Pond). He has stage managed at a number of local theaters, including Driftwood Players (Exit the Body, The Snow Queen, Yes Virgina…, Go Back For Murder), Bellevue Civic (Love, Sex and the IRS), Renton Civic (Deathtrap, Rehearsal for Murder, Spider’s Web), and VCP (The Odd Couple, Alone Together). In his acting persona, Damon’s favorite roles include Gabe in Dinner With Friends, Tom in Blue Window, Tony in Heaven Can Wait, and musical roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Annie Get Your Gun, Man of La Mancha and Little Shop of Horrors. Love to PCM, CAC and ELF.

J. Allbritton (Costume Designer) is a designer stuck somewhere between 1760 and 1960, and would not have it any other way. Past work includes: Cats, Hairspray, The Pajama Game, Hello Dolly, The Sound of Music, The King and I, Pirates of Penzance, Barnum, Joseph and the Amazing…, H.M.S Pinafore, Lil Abner, Desert Song, The Student Prince, A Christmas Carol, Yeoman of the Guard, The Kings Proposal, Dangerous Liaisons’, Miracle on 34th St.

Mark Chenovick (Set Design/Technical Director)

Robert Falk (Light Design)

(click image below to download the poster .pdf)