“Chicago” continues its run with four more performances scheduled March 14 – 15 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on closing day Saturday at 1:30 p.m.  Students have been practicing since the beginning of January, and finally their labor has come to fruition. The CT sat down with senior Angelo Sampson, who plays the red cast Billy, and junior Hailey Tollner, who plays the red cast Roxie, for an interview.

 CT: What made you try out for “Chicago”?

Hailey: “Chicago” has been one of my favorite shows for quite a while. [Roxie] is one of my dream roles. I’ve been telling Mr. Peerenboom I’ve been wanting to do “Chicago” for years.

CT: What has been the most challenging thing you’ve had to overcome? Why?

H: Dancing. I’ve never been in a really dance heavy show, so it was really a good experience.

CT: What has it been having someone else play your part because you’re double cast?

H: Working with Caroline [the white cast Roxie] was great. We knew how to strategize our time and what we needed to work on. We have the relationship that we could just go to each other and work together for anything we needed for the show. It’s kinda weird having someone else play the same part as you because you watch them do it, and they do it differently…but you don’t want to change it to much, because you still want it to be your own performance.

CT: Why do you think this show should be seen more than any other show? Why do you think you have to go to this show?

H: It’s a show that everyone knows. It’s a great Broadway musical. It’s a really good story. It’s not something you see in a lot of high schools at all.

CT: What has this particular experience in the past two or three months been like?

H: The past couple months have been interesting because we’ve had the possibility of the strike, and with all of the snow days, we’ve missed a couple rehearsals, so we had to cram, but everyone was willing to put in the extra time to make the show happen.

CT: What is your biggest motivation in “Chicago”?

Angelo: To do the best I can. I want to be up there, and I want to be perfect.

CT: This is your first musical. What made you want to try out?

A: Because I love acting. I can’t say that I love singing, but I love practicing. And to be honest, when I tried out, I had no idea what “Chicago” was. I had to ask a friend what part to sign up for. She said that there’s two parts, Amos and Billy, the lawyer. And I said, which one is the lead and she said Billy, so I said okay. I didn’t know anything about him, but I just wrote on my form that I was trying out for Billy. I think I misspelled his name on the form. I put down one “n” instead of two.

CT: Has working in “Chicago” scared you in anyway?

A: I’ve never been more scared in my life. Especially the past four days. I try not to let other people down, because if I don’t perform, they can’t do the best that they can do. I’m definitely confident [about opening night] because the dress rehearsal went pretty well.

H: He came up to me the other day during rehearsal and said, ‘I’m going to make sure you have the best Billy you could have’ and I know he’s going to do his best.

CT: This is your first musical, you don’t read any music, and yet you got the lead for men. How has this affected your time?

A: I have not done that much school. I’ve [used]…75% of [rehearsal time] working on songs. Bethany, the musical director, has really helped me learn the music, and not just Bethany. Nickey Olson, my counterpart, has helped me a lot. [Hailey] has helped me a lot, too. Because, we’re up there on stage, and whispers in my ear…my line. She’s not judging. People are really supportive and help me out.

 The White cast performs March 13 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., and the Red cast performs March 14 at 7:30 p.m. and March 15 at 1:30 p.m.