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The show must go on, and off, and on again.

Winston Churchill High School Principal Joan Benz reconsidered her decision to cancel the school's scheduled performance of "Chicago" after several students, parents and staff members from the Potomac high school appealed to school officials at Monday night's school board.

By Tuesday afternoon, the situation had been resolved, and the play was back on.

The play that had been approved earlier wasn't appropriate for students to perform, Benz told The Gazette Tuesday afternoon.

"The language was more severe, and the student version is a bit more toned down," she said. "It's geared down a bit and more appropriate for teenage kids to perform. I'm happy to deliver some good news.'

According to parent Randy Levenson, two plays were proposed in the spring for performance this fall, and the principal had selected "Chicago" and had signed a check for the performance rights Sept. 24.

Benz then reviewed the script and decided to make changes, cutting out lines of dialogue and eliminating the part of Go-to-Hell Kitty, said Levenson, whose 15-year-old daughter, Alexandra, was cast to play murderer Roxie Hart.

But after the holder of the licensing rights rejected the revisions, Benz initially canceled the performances.

On Monday night, Alexandra Levenson told The Gazette that she "started crying" when she heard the news of the show's cancellation. "I just wouldn't believe it because we all put so much time and effort into it," she said.

The student had sacrificed much to ready for the role, including social gatherings, SAT preparation and filling out college applications.

The school already had spent about $10,000 on advertising, costumes and other production costs when it was canceled, Levenson said.

"This was devastating to these teenagers," Levenson said in a telephone interview.

Levenson said he did not know why the principal had wanted revisions to the script, which involves a tale of two women murderers in Chicago in 1924.

"My daughter was in ‘Macbeth' last year, and she killed four people with a bat," Levenson said.

Other schools in the region have performed "Chicago," he said.

Among the deletions the principal wanted to the dialogue was a line where his daughter was to have said, "I have to pee," Levenson said. "They also couldn't say ‘murder.'"

After word of the cancellation spread, cast members, parents and others attended the school board meeting to protest.

Frieda Lacey, deputy schools superintendent, told the parents and students at the meeting that she understood their anger.

"I'm very concerned about it," she said. Her grandson recently was in a musical at his school. "I know what was involved in his preparation. If I had gotten word that he wasn't going to be in the show, I'd be in your seat today.

"I'll give all of my attention to this issue," Lacey added.

Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said schools officials were meeting throughout the day with the principal to try to resolve the issue.

Eventually, revisions were acceptable to all parties, and the show was revived.