Best Foot Forward Productions

"Chicago" tells the story of Velma Kelly (Kellie Haigh), a vaudevillian who murdered both her husband and her sister when she found them in bed together and Roxie Hart's (Ashley Hughes) murder of her lover, nightclub regular Fred Casely. Roxie convinces her husband Amos (Gary Evans) that the victim was a burglar, and Amos cheerfully takes the rap. However, when the police mention the deceased's name Amos belatedly puts two and two together. The truth comes out, and Roxie is arrested. Velma is not happy to see Roxie, who is stealing not only her limelight but her lawyer, Billy Flynn (Stuart Harmon). Separately, Roxie and Velma realize there's no one they can count on but themselves and the ever-resourceful Roxie decides that being pregnant in prison would put her back on the front page. Velma tries to show Billy all the tricks she's got planned for her trial. Billy's forte may be showmanship, but when he passes all Velma's ideas on to Roxie, down to the rhinestone shoe buckles, Mama and Velma lament the demise of "Class". As promised, Billy gets Roxie her acquittal but, just as the verdict is given, some even more sensational crime pulls the pack of press bloodhounds away, and Roxie's fleeting celebrity life is over. She teams up with Velma in a sister act.

Directed by Joe Vago, Music Direction by Frank Rene and Choreography by Kellie Haigh. Tickets are $15 for adults' $12 for students and seniors and are available at the door. Performances at McAllaster Hall on the campus of Central High School best accessed from Beech St, Manchester, NH. For more information please call 603-641-6066.

We do plays about the darkest sides of life that are in every newspaper and on every broadcast. We do this for two reasons; to shine light on the darkness--to draw attention to the monsters we'd all like to forget because the more attention that is paid, the less people will dare perform these actions. We do it to give voices to the survivors of these torments, so they realize that no matter how terrible their experience was, others have gone through things like it. That alone, much like AA or sexual abuse survivors groups, offers a HUGE relief.

There is darkness in the word, and we are not afraid to face it, to depict it, to help in our small way, to fight it. People like watching violence on tv, in movies; onstage. They like to look at the things that they may have to face, because turning it into an art form helps them compartmentalize their fears; but it still makes them think about it.

We also do shows that help kill the beast with laughter--

Coming Up...

Isles in the Moon

Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm

Friday, October 30 at 7:30pm

and

Two shows for Halloween

Saturday, October 31 at 7pm and 10pm

at McAllaster Hall on the campus of
Central High School, Manchester, NH
best reached from Beech St.

The theater is converted into a 50 seat black box so reservations are encouraged by calling 604-641-6066 or email darksideprod@comcast.net. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

Written by Jeff Symes
Directed by Timothy Dargon

The play centers around a fishing family in the late 19th century and the axe murder of two of the young women in the family for which one of the characters was hanged on Smuttynose Island. Based upon a true story, this script is a very strong drama requiring a very strong cast. The book "Weight of Water" is also based upon these factual events. Smuttynose Island (formerly "Smutty-nose") is one of the Isles of Shoals, located six miles off the coast of New Hampshire, but actually in the state of Maine. It was named by fishermen, seeing the island at sea level and noticing how the profuse seaweed at one end looked like the "smutty nose" of some vast sea animal. The island is best known for a series of murders that occurred there. On March 6, 1873, two Norwegian women, Karen and Anethe Christensen, were strangled and one struck with a hatchet. A third woman, Maren Hontvet, escaped and hid on the island at a place now called "Maren's Rock". Maren, the only witness to the murders, identified a German fisherman, Louis Wagner, as the killer. Wagner was tried, convicted and, although he maintained his innocence, hanged. Despite an airtight case, so vehement was his denial that people long believed he was innocent.[1] The story of the murders was told by Celia Thaxter in her account A Memorable Murder[2] and by Anita Shreve in her novel The Weight of Water.

Louis H.F. Wagner was hunted down after fleeing the Island. He was quickly caught in Boston and brought back to the Portsmouth Police Station. 10,000 angry Townspeople waited for him at the train station, and shadowed him all the way back chanting "Lynch Him, Kill Him." Wagner was then brought to Alfred Maine for trial. After he was condemned to death he broke jail, escaping back to New Hampshire. He was recaptured and brought to the gallows at Thomaston State Prison. The Smuttynose Island Murders, trial, jailbreak, and execution is featured in the book "Return to Smuttynose Island" by Emeric Spooner.

Cast

The Maid, a ghost - Christine Frydenborg

Maren Hontvet - Victoria Hogan

John Hontvet - Todd Russell

Louis Wagner - Marc Pelletier

Phillip Babb, a ghost - Eric Eastman

Anethe Christiansen - Miri Reinhold

Evan Christiansen - Tyler Carlisle

Karen Christiansen - Ciaran Farley