The jazzy and sensational musical ‘Chicago’ was showcased by the Macleans art department to a fully-booked out crowd of fans and students two weeks ago. As tradition, it was yet another spectacular week of musical performance, sure to instill the tune of ‘razzle dazzle‘ in the hearts of Macleans students for the next couple months.
The show spanned four evening performances, with a captivating cast and crew at the Colin-Prentice auditorium. ‘Chicago’ drew in a rapt audience, performing its insightful themes of ‘Justice’ and ‘the corrupting influence of fame’ with an emphasis on quality showmanship.
It took a massive investment of time and effort to get such an excellent production on wings (literally); casting began last year with over six months of memorising scripts, crafting sets, performing and re-performing scenes. With rehearsals throughout the holidays, the hours were long but rewarding.
A significant portion of this work goes by unnoticed, and it’s an immense effort to get a musical to the stage. Every individual involved has poured a lot of their time into making ‘Chicago’ the spectacled musical it is. This article will peer through the red-curtains that curtail the borders of the stage, highlighting the difficult but enjoyable work behind songs like the stunning Cell-Block Tango to the brilliant lights-work.
Interviews:
Director: Mrs Burnett
What were the reasons behind your choice of Chicago as the musical this year?
We had been trying to secure the performance rights for ‘Chicago’ for quite some time, and this year, all the stars finally aligned – especially with the arrival of our new Dance teacher, Ms Olivier. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to use her expertise and highlight the exceptional dance talent we have at Macleans. ‘Chicago’ is a dance-driven show with iconic choreography, and we knew it would be the ideal platform to celebrate and stretch our students’ abilities in this area.
We were also drawn to the show because of its powerful female leads – Roxie and Velma are such dynamic, complex roles, and we’re lucky to have some outstanding female performers who were ready to rise to that challenge. Ultimately, ‘Chicago’ gave us a chance to highlight the strengths of our students, both in dance and character work, and to create a bold, exciting production that brought real energy to the stage.
What was your favourite memory from directing?
There’s nothing quite like the moment when everything clicks – the lights, the sound, the performances, the energy – and you know the show has truly come to life. That feeling of the whole cast and crew firing on all cylinders is unforgettable.
A standout moment for me was getting the lighting just right for the opening of “Cell Block Tango.” That scene is so iconic, and when the mood, intensity, and timing all came together, it sent chills down my spine. Seeing the performers absolutely own that moment made all the long hours’ worth it.
Do you have any thoughts or comments for the cast and crew as well as aspiring theatre kids of next year?
To this year’s cast and crew – thank you for your dedication, your creativity, and your teamwork. You came together as a true whānau and created something really special. The energy, trust, and commitment you brought to the process made this production such a rewarding experience.
To future theatre students: take the leap. Audition, volunteer, get involved – even if you don’t succeed the first time, keep going. Every setback is a step forward in your growth. The Musical at Macleans is about more than just performing – it’s about community, collaboration, and discovering what you’re capable of. So give it everything you’ve got. You never know what magic you might be a part of.
Tech crew: Daniel Chan Year 12
What was the tech process like for Chicago?
The process for ‘Chicago’ was quite intense but also very rewarding. It involved many 9-5’s during the school term and holidays. Attention to detail and long periods of focus and commitment was required to achieve better run throughs of shows during rehearsals. We spent a lot of hours during rehearsals syncing light and sound cues with choreography and script. This was to ensure smooth and seamless transitions between each scene/song.
Best part of being tech?
Honestly, the best part was seeing the acting, singing and dancing come to life. With microphones to amplify the sound, and lights to set the atmosphere of this dark and intense play, seeing all the behind-the-scenes work come to life was truly an experience to remember. Getting to know the cast better or just having a good laugh with them while micing/de-micing them was also a nice memory. Overall, just being part of something that involves so many people – whether it’s the cast, crew or orchestra, seeing ‘Chicago’ come to life because of everyone’s hard work and dedication (especially after closing night) was THE MOST rewarding and fulfilling part of the whole process.
What was the biggest challenge that you overcame working in a nearly 2 hour musical?
With my job being a sound operator (assisting Huxley), the biggest challenge was definitely making sure the mics and sound cues weren’t giving feedback, and adjusting the EQ to suit each of the 20+ mics to suit each of the cast members’ vocal ranges. Adjusting the sound levels for each scene was also quite tricky. Honestly though, these challenges helped me to become better at my job and proved once again how complicated, technical, yet exciting tech can be for a musical like this, probably one of the best ones I’ve been a part of.
Thank you to Miss Burnett, Dr Miles, Mr Davidson and Huxley for all the hard work and dedication you have shown to me, the tech crew and everyone involved in the musical. It was a great show and definitely one of the best ones during my time at Macleans so far!
Backstage crew: Leanne Liu Yr 13
Why did you choose to be a back-stage crew?
I chose to be backstage crew because of a very spur of the moment thing, I saw it being advertised on the daily notices and my friend had been doing it so I figured why not give it a try? I’d like to think it was the best decision I’ve made in terms of extra-curriculars at this school.
Do you have a favourite memory from backstage?
Most moments with the backstage crew are my favourites so its difficult to pick a specific one when it’s the people who make them so special but the most memorable to me was perhaps the one time our tech guy was listed as one of the equipment and it quickly became his nickname.
Any wisdom to pass on to future backstage crew?
I don’t know about ‘wisdom’ to pass on per say but I think the most important part is to enjoy the experience. Be proud of every night of the show that you don’t mess up. Don’t beat yourself up over the small things or mistakes because chances are the audience won’t notice a thing because they don’t know the show like you and everyone else involved do.
Make friends with the rest of your backstage team if you aren’t already, you will be spending hours with them anyways and it will make everything more enjoyable. Befriend the other students involved as well, make new connections. Lastly, please continue the tradition of backstage brunch, its usually the morning of the Saturday performance and as someone part of the year which started it, I would like us to also have something special just for backstage instead of us just scurrying around in the shadows of the wings :))
Band (Tuba): Daniel Hulley Year 13
What made Chicago a unique show to perform?
‘Chicago’ had almost non-stop music! It was a shorter show compared to the usual Macleans College productions, but there was far more music playing. Also, the incredible set with the scaffolding, costumes, and incredible lighting were all unique aspects!
What is the most difficult aspect of playing music for a musical compared to your other performances – how do you overcome it?
Wow, I mean, musical playing is so totally different to any orchestra or concert band. The actors rely so much on the music, and we rely so much on the conductor to watch the actors because every part of the musical is so deeply intertwined. The timings and everything are different every time we performed – different lines were emphasised, rushed and slowed and some lines were even dropped. Even more variable is the audience and their participation! If they clap a lot we have to stay perfectly ready to come straight into the next piece for up to a minute or two. These performances require immense focus so it’s really important to fully ‘lock in’ to the show. You need to know not just your music but also the actors’ lines and everything so well. I listened to the tracks in my car! Knowing and being confident with your music is also so vital, so a ton of practice, and showing up to all of the rehearsals are the best ways to make sure you are fully prepared. The story of live theatre is that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong, which is why we have so many rehearsals!
Can you describe the rehearsal process for the band? How did it evolve leading up to show week?
We started off pretty relaxed with weekly rehearsals from 3.30 – 6.30pm on a Friday, but going into the Term 1 holidays it ramped up to 9-5 rehearsals every day for the first week, and then the last weekend of the holidays, plus the weekend before performances. Every rehearsal was filled with interesting times though, new techniques, funky sounds, or even some amazing operatic singing from Dr. Miles.
Was there a moment where everything just “clicked” musically for you and the band?
During rehearsals we could be a bit out of touch with the cast and with each other, and that is super stressful at times. There was a moment when everything “clicked” though, and that was as the lights started fading, and the pre-show announcement started on opening night. That was when we locked in, our focus and adrenaline running high. It was an amazing performance.
Any insights for people wanting to do your role next year?
Honestly the most important thing is practice. If you want to be an actor, go get the free singing lessons inside school, take drama as a subject, try out for Junior or Senior production, get involved and take criticism so that you can improve! If you want to be a musician, same thing. People say that practice makes perfect but you can always be better, so I like to say that practice makes improvement! Join a band inside school, or even out in the community! It is a great way to play some interesting music and network! I would 1000% say though that it will be one of the most amazing and learning-filled experiences of your Macleans journey! Give it a go!
In all, CHICAGO (Teen edition) was an incredible show to be part of, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You learn so much in that short time in the pit, and your musicality increases exponentially from it. I absolutely encourage everyone to give it a go, whether that is as an actor, musician, sound / lighting tech, backstage crew, or even down to costumes, makeup, or catering. You won’t regret it, I promise!
Actor: Ryan Dashper Year 12
Do you have a particularly memorable experience from rehearsals that you’d like to share?
One memorable experience from rehearsals was when we had holiday intensive rehearsals, we were doing dance detailing and I will always remember Ms Olivier telling us to keep our feet together. One cast member specifically was always having to be reminded to keep their feet together and they were told so much that they still probably dream about it. Still makes me laugh when I talk to them about it.
I also definitely loved getting our costumes. It was so good seeing it all finally come together and the costumes couldn’t have been better. On top of that, I also really loved spending time with all the cast members and they made my time in the musical so enjoyable. Honourable mention to the song “Me and My Baby” as that was one of my favourite songs to learn. 10/10 would recommend.
Now that the show is over, what do you think is your biggest take-away from being a part of the cast of Chicago?
With the show being over I definitely do regret taking it for granted. I was so excited for the end result that I sometimes forgot to enjoy the process of MAKING the end result. I still of course loved every minute of it but just didn’t appreciate it fully and now I do and I’m wishing I could do it all again. The vocal rehearsals were so fun to do (even when I couldn’t quite hit the right note sometimes), and I loved seeing the songs come to life. As for the blocking and stage work, I loved working with the cast while chatting and laughing during breaks, it’s something you can’t replicate often and I’m really grateful to have shared this experience with them.
Advice to anyone aspiring to do the Musical next year?
For anyone aspiring to try for the musical next year, I say go for it. This was my first musical production I had done at Macleans and I wish I’d tried for more. Being a part of the musical is truly a unique experience that I wish everyone could try, no matter if you’re backstage, costume, lighting, music, etc. In previous years, I never thought that I would ever do the musical and it wasn’t until last year that I was convinced by my friend to audition and I’m glad they got through to me. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the greatest singer or dancer, just give it a go. So I very strongly suggest you put your name down for it when the time comes, trust me, you won’t regret it.
There you have it, the jazz behind All That Jazz. Everyone clearly had a lot of fun creating the show but also they gained memories and friendships that they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. Trying something new, an unfamiliar script, unfamiliar controls and unfamiliar scores means after it’s over you’ll definitely have learned something new and more importantly have a pretty nice conversation topic to bring up 20 years later.
Macleans musical culture is such a fundamental part of the college, reflecting the value of collaborative spirit. There are so many people that participated in the show, that all deserve their name in the limelight, and it is thanks to them and many others that the musical is such a success every year.
Thank you to the director – Mrs Burnett, and to producer – Dr Miles for the many hours that you must have put in to get the show past the brainstorm. Thanks to all the students who worked on the musical and thanks to all the audience members for making it a success. Finally thank you to all of the interviewees who shared their experience in the musical: Mrs Burnett, Leanne, Daniel (both!) and Ryan. Thank you so much!
Published Monday 26th May 2025.
Written by Haran Thirumeni, Edited by Emma Li, Chiron Yung
Photography by Ben Campbell / BC Photography
