Drama Club Announces This Year's Musical

by Corey Flyer, SSLI '26

Earlier today, the high school play was announced. This is an announcement the entire school has been looking forward to as there has been tremendous speculation regarding what this year’s production would be. The Drama Club was excited to announce that they would be putting on a production of Chicago.

Ms. Weston, the Drama Club advisor and director of the play, provided an overview of the play's backstory: “The play Chicago is set in the 1920s, or the ‘Roaring 20s.’ It’s about Roxie Hart ... who ends up killing her lover. She frames her husband for it, but he finds out and gets her arrested. Roxie is in jail with another woman with whom she battles to become the ‘star of the jail.’ It’s really a twisted take on the American Dream. They’re both looking for fame, fortune, and an acquittal.”

Weston explained how this year’s show was chosen: “The students chose it. I threw it up there as one of the four choices, thinking no one would pick it. I was kind of leaning towards Xanadu, and we came close. A lot of people voted for Xanadu, but the majority wanted Chicago. I found a company that licenses a teen version, so it will be appropriate for high schoolers.” Weston is extremely excited about what is ahead and is looking forward to a successful, entertaining production.

Everyone is looking forward to Chicago! (R. Rogers)

Junior Mia Bachrach, president of the Drama Club, shared her expectations for this year’s play. She said, “Chicago is such a cool show with a lot of energy, and I expect it to be a challenge, but also really fun. The characters are bold, and the story is full of drama and dark humor. I think it’s going to take a lot of work to get everything right, especially with the dancing and music, but I’m excited to bring a character to life and be a part of such a famous musical.”

Bachrach explained that she is auditioning for Velma Kelly, who “is strong and confident, but she is also sneaky.” Bachrach elaborated, “Throughout the show, she’s always trying to stay in the spotlight and outshine Roxie Hart, who’s her competition. I think it’ll be really fun to play a character who is so powerful and knows how to work her way through tough situations. Also, her songs like ‘All That Jazz’ are super famous, and I’d love to perform them.” Bachrach is ready to hit the ground running and take part in a fabulous show.

Senior Carly Smith, a member of the Drama Club, shared that she is looking forward to learning more about Chicago, having auditions, and starting rehearsals. She added, “I think it’s very crazy that this is my last year doing the musical, so I’m just really excited to be able to spend one last time with all of my friends creating something special. I think that each year the cast works so hard to put on an amazing production, and I can’t wait to see what happens with Chicago.”

Schechter’s Drama Club is famous for putting on entertaining productions year after year. The entire school is looking forward to what is to come this spring.

Corey Flyer is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2022. Corey is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: cflyer26@schechterli.org.