The sound of smooth jazz music filled the faintly lit theater as actors prepared their lines, applied make-up and released any last minute butterflies on opening night.

Director Randy Messick and his crew of actors began performances of “Chicago” on the Bakersfield College Indoor Theater stage March 4. Every performance has its own accumulation of stress and nerves, but with this group, you would never know.

“I feel very confident today, definitely,” said Brandon Turner, who plays Billy Flynn in the production. “It was one of the first times any of us has felt really, really confident. I think we have a tremendous show, that’s tremendously well written with a very, very, very, solid cast and it’s hilarious. I’m very excited.”

Every actor, from the leading lady to the extras, seemed calm and self-assured as the final touches were made before curtain call.

“I feel like we’ve got an empty canvas and the outcome will be a surprise,” said Rebecca Lotze who plays Roxie Hart.

Although the basic story is the same, the play is very different from the Broadway musical “Chicago” and the movie released in 2003. No songs are performed in the play.

“One of the things that people are definitely going to see in this show that they didn’t see in the musical is tons more characters. There’s so many more characters and so much more character interaction,” said Turner. “You watch ‘Chicago’ the movie and wherever they have a song, we have comedy.”

According to Messick, the play continues tonight and Saturday at 8p.m. General admission is $8 and it is $5 for students with ID, seniors, children under 18 years of age and groups of six or more.

“I hope that the actors realize that there is more to learn, more to grow, more to flush out, more to develop. So I hope it keeps growing and getting better and better within the world we’ve created,” said Messick.