Media starlett Roxie Hart is full of tips on how to get away with murder and look good doing it

ALBANY - When Roxie Hart, the prettiest woman ever charged with murder, is charged with a crime of passion, it triggers a hilarious send-up of the police, the press and big-city crime and punishment in the play "Play Ball a/k/a Chicago."

John Elliot is the director of the play opening Friday, Sept. 12, at Albany Civic Theater, as well as the leading authority on Maurine Watkins, the original author of "Chicago."

"I have been researching Miss Watkins for over 30 years and there isn't a soul alive who knows more about her," Elliot said.

He has wanted to direct this play for several years, however, the rights to stage the play were hard to find. The play service is not one that most people have heard of. The person who holds the rights is a lawyer named Elliot S. Blair, Esq.

Elliot had to jump through several hoops after contacting the lawyer, including writing his own contract and paying double the average price for the rights. He tried getting the rights a couple of years ago, but Blair did not contact him in time.

"It took many hours to find a contact to locate the rights to the play," Elliot said.

Fortunately, Elliot found them in time for this season at ACT.

Although the name of the play is "Chicago," the lawyer made Elliot change the name to "Play Ball a/k/a Chicago" if he wanted the rights to do the play.

The rehearsals have been going well and the cast and crew should be ready for their first performance Friday.

"This is an incredible group," Elliot said. "A little less than half of the actors are brand new to theater or brand new to ACT."

Leigh Matthews Bock and Jer Allen, the assistant directors, are looking forward to opening night as well.

"It has been exciting watching the actors find their characters," Matthews Bock said.

In the play, when Roxie Hart, a beautiful, selfish woman played by Caren Parmenter, is charged with murder, she will do anything she can possibly think of to make the jury find her not guilty, including feigning a pregnancy.

"She is the most self-absorbed person in the world," Matthews Bock said. "She is just wretched. I love her."

She uses the murder to get publicity about herself, and no one should dare take her fame away from her. When one person tries, all chaos breaks loose at the prison.

Her lawyer, Billy Flinn, played by Chuck Skinner, uses everything he has to prove this was an act of self-defense.

Roxie's husband leaves her and she is on her own; it is up to the jury to decide whether she is guilty or not guilty.

Tickets for the show are available at Sid Stevens Jewelers, 140 First Ave W. in Albany, Rice's Pharmacy, 910 N.W. Kings Blvd. in Corvallis, and at ACT 45 minutes before curtain.