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New York performer can’t wait to bring Chicago to the South Okanagan

The timeless, award-winning musical comes to the South Okanagan Events Centre March 28.
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Despite only playing two preview shows so far, the cast of Chicago (touring) has already become extremely close, said lead actress. The year long tour is just getting underway and stops in Penticton March 28. (Contributed)

Get ready to see some of world’s best choreography, musicianship and comedy all packed into one timeless show.

The longest-running American musical in Broadway history, Chicago, is soon to arrive in Penticton.

On its North American tour, the group will perform twice in Penticton on March 28; one matiné and one evening performance at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC).

The ever-popular musical, winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, is set in the “razzle-dazzle decadence of the roaring 20s” and tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses, Velma and Roxie Hart, locked up in the Windy City’s Cook County Jail.

Sold already? Enter our contest to win two tickets to Chicago and a night at the Lakeside Resort.

READ MORE: Award-winning musical coming to the South Okanagan

New York City native Mollie Downes has been cast as Roxie Hart. Downes says the opportunity has been nothing short of a dream come true.

Downes’ character, Hart, is a housewife and nightclub dancer who maliciously murders her side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cell-mate, Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her vicious crime into a barrage of sensational media headlines.

The cast of Chicago (touring), including Downes, was determined in December. The 28-year-old says they have already become a close-knit family. The tour is just getting started in Washington State and will see the cast travel across North America with performances booked through 2020.

Downes says she can’t wait to bring the show to audiences who may never have another opportunity to see a Broadway musical.

“The show is timeless, truly. It could happen in any time and any place and the story would still be the most important part,” said Downes.

“You’re going to see the best choreography you’ve ever seen on a stage. You’re going to see the best musicianship you’re ever going to see on a stage and you’re going to see the tight comedic moments that you didn’t know were possible in this day and age.

It really pulls together all the elements you need to make a musical in a way that is just seamless and relevant no matter where or when you’re watching it.”

Tickets for Chicago at the SOEC start at $75 and are available at the Valley First box office, by phone at 1-877-SOEC-TIX (763-2849) or online at ValleyFirstTix.com

READ MORE: Musical comedy plays on Carnival ’60s theme

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Jesse Day

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