Lee County’s Palladium Players bring ‘Chicago’ to Robert A. Clay stage
Special Photo: LCHS
Special Photo: LCHS
Special Photo: LCHS
By Carlton Fletcher
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LEESBURG — Amanda Piercey says her Lee County High School student actors have managed to walk the fine line between presenting a teen version of an adult musical and still keeping it interesting for mature audiences who may have seen the Broadway musical “Chicago” or its equally popular cinematic version.
“We’ve been working on this since January and it’s been so much fun,” said Piercey, who is in charge of LCHS’s Palladium Players and will be the director of the play that will be presented by her charges over the next two weekends. “I’m fortunate enough to have students who can take on a more mature theme than the usual school play and keep it on a teen level.
“The kids in our program have been dying to do ‘Chicago’ for some time, and when the teen edit and script was released, we jumped on it.”
With Bailey Muggridge portraying Roxie, Patterson Jernigan playing Velma and Jayden Evans taking on the task of bringing “Momma Thornton” to life, the 28 students tasked with bringing “Chicago” to the Robert A. Clay Auditorium for LCHS’s spring musical have nailed the nuances of the show, according to Piercey.
“When you’re passionate about something, you’re going to give it your best,” the head of the Lee theater program said. “And these kids are passionate. It’s also a big plus that their parents and the parents who support our program have the same kind of passion for what we do.”
In addition to the 28 on-stage performers in “Chicago,” 15 students are working behind the scenes on technical items (lights and sound) and 15 members of the LCHS Jazz Band will be added to the cast over the second weekend of performances.
“Mr. Ryan Bratton does a good job with our Jazz Band, and when I asked him if they might perform in ‘Chicago’ to give it a more authentic feel, he said sure,” Piercey said. “We just jumped out on a limb and said let’s collaborate. We’ll take a few rows of seating out to create a realistic ‘pit’ for them, and we’ll have lighting to reflect a jazz club. Plus, some of our program alumni are going to be seated at tables around the stage to add to the authenticity of the play.”
The Palladium Players will present “Chicago” at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and on April 19-20. Matinees are scheduled at 2 p.m. on Sunday and April 21. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
“This is a fundraiser for our program to help us continue to do things like this, things that you don’t typically see in this kind of production,” Piercey said. “We want to make it as close to a real show that you might see on Broadway or in Atlanta as possible. Some people can’t afford to make those trips, so we try to bring the stage to them.”
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