About the Show
Book by Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the Play by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Script Adaptation by David Thompson
Direction & Choreography by Jauné Buisson
June 18th–21st
This summer we’ll “give ‘em the ol’ Razzle Dazzle”. In Chicago, the 1975 Kander & Ebb spectacle, salacious true crime runs amok, and, to quote Cole Porter, “good’s bad,” “black’s white,” and “day’s night.” However, one could argue that the joke is on us, as we look around incredulously at today’s political theatre. The show, studded with iconic songs like “All that Jazz,” “When You’re Good to Mama,” and, yes, “Razzle-Dazzle,” is a fast-paced rollick through a hall of smoke and mirrors. Don’t miss it!
Buy Single Tickets Today -or- Save up to 20% with Season Tickets
Meet the Director & Choreographer
Jauné Buisson is an award-winning director and choreographer known for creating visually striking, movement-driven productions that blend theatrical storytelling with bold design. Her work often explores the intersection of glamour, power, and performance—an approach that is central to her vision for Chicago, where crime, celebrity, and spectacle collide in a world driven by image and ambition.
She is the recipient of the Crescent City Theater Award for Best Director of a Musical (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, LPT) and has received multiple nominations for her work, including choreography for Jersey Boys at Le Petit Théâtre and A Chorus Line at Summer Lyric Theatre, as well as Best Musical (A Chorus Line, Summer Lyric Theatre). She is also the recipient of the Big Easy Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Cassie in A Chorus Line (2014), a role she reprised with Summer Lyric Theatre in 2025, earning a Crescent City Theater Award nomination.
Jauné has co-directed and choreographed Jersey Boys, and most recently Guys and Dolls at Le Petit Théâtre, earning recognition for productions that are both emotionally grounded and visually dynamic. Her choreography at Summer Lyric Theatre includes Anything Goes, She Loves Me, Ragtime, Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hello, Dolly!, Once Upon a Mattress, and Fiddler on the Roof.
As a performer with Summer Lyric Theatre, she has appeared as Fastrada in Pippin, Tessie Tura in Gypsy, and Lois/Bianca in Kiss Me, Kate, bringing a deep understanding of performance into her work as a director. She is the Artistic Director of Metropolitan Dance Theatre of New Orleans, where she leads a thriving dance community and produces large-scale dance productions each season.
Her film work includes No One Will Save You (Disney+). Jauné first worked with Summer Lyric Theatre in 2001.
Meet The Artistic Director
C. Leonard Raybon, a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After earning a bachelor’s degree from William Carey College in music education, he won a Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowship to study in York, England, where he earned his master’s. His doctorate, from Louisiana State University, is in choral conducting with a minor in vocal performance.
He has been on the faculty of Tulane for thirteen years, and currently serves as chair of the Newcomb Department of Music. At Tulane, he is the Director of Choirs, resident musical director and conductor for the prestigious Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane, and a voice teacher.
He has presented papers in Honolulu, Hawaii, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has had an article on Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude published in The American Organist. In 2009 he was invited as guest conductor in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Raybon has won two Big Easy Awards for musical direction in Pirates of Penzance and Man of La Mancha at Summer Lyric at Tulane.
He was recently a featured soloist and chorister the Monteverdi Vespers at Marigny Opera House. Leonard and his choirs performed in Rome, Florence, and Venice in 2013. In the Summer of 2014, in Rome, he presented a paper on his innovative beginning voice teaching approach based in Aristotle, and an article on the topic will be published in the International Journal of Arts Education.
History & Fun Facts
- Chicago is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
- The show is based on a 1926 play by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, inspired by real-life Chicago murder trials.
- Its signature style—minimal sets, black costumes, and jazz-band-on-stage—was revolutionary when the revival opened in 1996.
- The music was composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb, one of Broadway’s most iconic songwriting duos.
- The 1996 revival almost didn’t happen—it was originally staged as a one-night concert-style performance.
- Chicago has won 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical for its revival.
- The 2002 film adaptation won 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
- Many famous performers—including Melanie Griffith, Brandy, Usher, and Pamela Anderson—have starred in the show.
- The roles of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are often cast as star vehicles, making celebrity stunt casting a tradition.
- Popular songs like “All That Jazz” and “Cell Block Tango” have become Broadway classics recognized even outside theater circles.
