Mill Valley’s Throckmorton Theatre, the unsung queen of Marin County’s theater scene, continues to deliver superb productions. Going back as far as its immersive “Romeo and Juliet” in 2019, the company has presented a growing list of outstanding classic shows, including “Ragtime,” “Les Misérables,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Guys and Dolls,” many of them all-student, or nearly all-student, efforts.

The latest is the blockbuster musical “Chicago,” running through March 23. It’s a stunner.

“Chicago” is best known to the public through the 2002 film starring Reneé Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. Based on a play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the musical by Fred Ebb, John Kander and Bob Fosse debuted in 1975. The film was a monster hit; over the past 20 years, stage adaptations have enjoyed recurring popularity and for good reason. “Chicago” is a hugely entertaining spoof of the American fascination with crime, celebrity, corruption, manipulation of justice and the willingness of the media to continually feed that fascination.

Set in the 1920s, it’s also an outrageously entertaining collection of song-and-dance about the fate of indicted killer Roxie Hart (Autumn Galatti, alternating with Hannah Canin) and her inmate companions — the “Murderesses” — at the Cook County women’s prison. We learn all about them as they sing “he had it coming,” depicting how each of them dispatched the men who did them wrong. Justifiable homicides? Well, they think so.

Galatti is superb as the scheming Roxie, and Merrill Cover is her equal as rival and co-conspirator Velma Kelly (played in alternating performances by Noa Weis). Finn Davis is wonderful as celebrity shyster Billy Flynn (alternating with Parker Hall), who opines that “in Chicago, murder is entertainment” and who, for a steep price, does his lawyerly best to convince a jury that Roxie is innocent. A gifted performer, Davis exudes the relaxed elegance of Fred Astaire. He even channels some Bing Crosby and Dean Martin into his vocals.

A particularly brilliant bit is a production number in which Billy Flynn is enveloped by a dozen fan dancers with huge plumes. Director and choreographer Erin Gentry and co-choreographer Reba Gilbert honor Fosse’s original dance moves with some of their own, including this one that seems lifted from a Busby Berkeley film.

Among the show’s stellar talents is Tallula Rice as gossip reporter Mary Sunshine (alternating with Claire Allen). Clearly the beneficiary of operatic training, Rice amazed the crowd on opening weekend by holding a note for what seemed like five minutes. As Cook County warden Mama Morton, Bella Martinez (alternating with Maddie Basich) wowed the crowd with “When You’re Good to Mama,” a delightful celebration of bribery. Tony Morales is excellent as Amos Hart, Roxie’s haplessly loyal husband.

Last Friday, an extremely enthusiastic full house greeted Throckmorton’s all-student cast, which presented a Broadway-caliber production on an imposing two-level set by Jean-Paul LaRosee.

He even made the huge illuminated sign looming over the whole affair, according to Gilbert. LaRosee’s professionalism is emblematic of the whole production, from the talents of its many black-clad dancers to the seven-member onstage band led by Nick Brown.

The performance of the Throck’s huge cast belies their relative youth. All are high schoolers, several from nearby Tam and Redwood, others from San Francisco, Petaluma and Sonoma. Most have eight to 10 years of training in theater arts, and many have been in multiple high-level productions.

This “Chicago” rivals anything you might see at any top-tier Bay Area theater. Leave your assumptions at home and prepare to be astounded.

Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact him at barry.m.willis@gmail.com.