Mike Wolanin | The Republic Henry Ulrich, left, as Billy Flynn, and Grace LaSell, as Roxie Hart, rehearse a scene for Columbus East’s production of the musical “Chicago” at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
One may forgo asking Grace LaSell if she’s tough enough to portray the hard-driving Roxie Hart in Columbus East High School’s presentation of the grand, 1920s musical “Chicago” this weekend.
The teen actress underwent a kidney transplant in 2021. And she currently undergoes hemodialysis three times per week in Indianapolis. Any other questions?
LaSell, a junior, laughed about an outsider’s straightforward perspective of her strength and fortitude.
“Well, I’ve definitely had to have an attitude adjustment playing Roxie,” LaSell said.
Understandable since Roxie is self-absorbed to the point that “the only thing that matters to her is becoming recognized (even if it’s for being a cold-blooded murderer),” according to charactour.com. “She’s wholly absorbed in being a celebrity, saying, ‘Ohh, I’m a star, and the audience loves me … and I love them.’”
Roxie, paired with Velma, played by Molly Bray, take much of the spotlight in this slightly more tamed dialogue of a teen version of the Broadway classic.
The truncated, online summary for the production is simple: “In the Roaring Twenties, aspiring chorus girl Roxie Hart and fading vaudeville star Velma Kelly each face trial for murder. Both as cynical as they are sexy, the two women compete for the services of shady lawyer Billy Flynn, who promises to make them media celebrities and win them acquittals.”
If that sounds like mature stuff for young actors, Bray will acknowledge that it is indeed, especially when it comes to glimpsing the raw reality of the female leads.
“You don’t really get to see Velma’s actual vulnerability except for one part in the show,” Bray said, adding that that hidden softness captured her attention. “For the most part, though, she’s almost always performing, and everything’s a show to her. And she’s always presenting some facade.
“… And the person playing Velma cannot act like a high schooler. Because Velma is a full-fledged woman, and the person portraying her has to be fully adult on stage.”
Bray wanted the role so badly she even prepped a bit for the show during her summer vacation. Now, she’s pleased to be a part of the 50-person cast and crew for far more than the music and for the script’s complexity. The student who loves ‘20s fashion is impressed with the work of show costume designers Cindy Patchett and Emily Haines.
Director Kevin Welsh sees a different style element in the show: the way people can look past darkness in celebrated people to see what they wish. He believes people still have that tendency in today’s real world to do so with some larger-than-life personalities.
“For me, the big bottom line in the show’s theme is the malleability of truth and justice,” Welsh said. “Everybody loves Roxie and Velma, because they’re talented, sexy women. Yet, both of them killed people.”
Welsh mentioned that the show’s extensive choreography, coordinated by Seymour veteran dance instructor Katrina Hardwick, makes the production more complex than most.
“Every single song has major choreography,” Welsh said. “Even the solos are dance numbers.”
About the show
What: Columbus East High School’s presentation of the teen version of the Broadway musical “Chicago.”
When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Where: East’s Clarence E. Robbins Auditorium, 230 S. Marr Road.
Tickets: Discounted online or $10 at the door.
