Following a successful night of auditions, Athlone Musical Society have announced their cast for the forthcoming production of the popular musical CHESS, with former ‘You’re a Star’ winner Lucia Evans set to grace the stage as Florence.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Lucia came to Ireland at 19 and now lives in Galway. Following her success with ‘You’re a Star’ she went onto release her acclaimed debut album, Natural Woman, in 2009. She has performed at the Rose of Tralee Festival as well as on The Late Late Show.
Athlone Musical Society welcomed Lucia to stage in 2015 when she performed as Motormouth Maybelle in HAIRSPRAY, to rave reviews and an AIMS nomination for ‘Best Female Singer’. Lucia has also received an AIMS nomination for ‘Best Female Singer’ for her portrayal of Katisha in the 2008 Galway Musical Society staging of THE HOT MIKADO.
The role of Anatoly will be played by Shane Kelly, a Galway native who is no stranger to Athlone. He played Jesus in the Society’s 2018 production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR as well as Dennis in last season’s award-winning production of ALL SHOOK UP. He has won many awards, including AIMS ‘Best Actor’ in 2020 for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker in RAGTIME and an AIMS nomination for ‘Best Male Singer’ for the same role of Anatoly when he played it for MCS Tuam.
Emily Lohan, another familiar face in Musical circles, will join Lucia and Shane in the principal role of Svetlana. Emily previously played Kitty Kiernan in MICHAEL COLLINS - A MUSICAL DRAMA, Velma in CHICAGO and Florence in CHESS, to name but a few. She most recently played Nellie in JEKYLL & HYDE, staged by Bravo TheatreGroup in Loughrea.
Supporting the leads are the talented Joe Steiner as Molokov, Kieran Kilduff as Walter, Paul Holloway as the Mayor and Kori Kilduff as Arbiter with the role of Freddie will be announced shortly.
The production team also cast an impressive male and female ensemble and choir, bringing past and new members on board for what promises to be a magnificent production coming to the Dean Crowe Theatre next March.
