IT ISN'T a musical about true love and pure hearts - which is precisely why Chicago is so much fun.

Featuring murder, greed, violence, corruption, exploitation, adultery, treachery - as the publicity promises, "all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts" - the musical tells the story of a couple of glamorous jailbirds in the 1920s.

Velma Kelly is already serving time for murdering her sister (well, she did catch her in bed with her husband) when chorus girl Roxie Hart hits the inside of the big house and the headlines for another murder.

Both girls revel in the lurid publicity of their crimes and go head-to-head for the Windy City's newspaper's front pages.

But when they wind up in competition for slick lawyer Billy Flynn and kicked out of the headlines by the latest scandal, the girls begin to see the value of working together.

Cavin Cornwall plays Billy Flynn. He said: "I originally did it in the West End for two years. I started as an understudy because at the time I wasn't a big enough name to do it alone so I was an ensemble member.

"I came back for a national tour and from there went on to the world tour. We were in Japan and South Korea and they were fantastic countries to visit.

"We were an amazing hit over there to the point where we couldn't go anywhere without being mobbed by crowds.

"And after this tour finishes we're going to China for some Christmas shows.

"It's quite an intimate kind of show that suits smaller theatres and it's certainly better up close.

The closer you are, the more you're part of the show. You can see the colour of the actor's eyes and watch them sweating.

"Chicago is much more in-your-face than other shows. It appeals to a much wider audience."

Book now for the hottest ticket in town, with prices ranging from £9 to £34. Chicago runs from November 8 to 20 at the New Theatre in Cardiff. Box office 02920 878889.