M. Scott Tatum and Julianna E. Wright have been producing theater together since their high school days. Their partnership continued through college and eventually culminated in the formation of their production company, Half and Half Productions.
The latest show from Half and Half, co-directed by Scott and Julianna, is the classic musical Chicago. Chicago's been onstage in Austin a few times as part of Broadway Across America, and there have been a handful of school productions of it, but this is, perhaps surprisingly, the first professional, locally-produced version presented to Austin audiences.
To set their version of Chicago apart from the touring Broadway and film versions, Scott and Julianna are producing their Chicago not in a traditional proscenium staging, but in a more audience-inclusive, lounge-style setting. It'll be onstage at the Gibson Lounge at Maggie Mae's bar, with the action moving from the stage to the audience and back, so you might find yourself sharing a cocktail table (or a cocktail) with Velma Kelly or Roxie Hart.
See Chicago at the Gibson Lounge at Maggie Mae's through June 1.
