Emotionally charged musicals can drain anyone. Audience members and actors are taken on a ride through a show, arriving at the curtain call exhilarated and out of breath.

Boasting themes of murder, greed, corruption, exploitation and adultery, “Chicago” has been redefining audiences’ perception of what a musical can be since it first opened in 1996. The musical that inspired a movie will take the stage in Des Moines this week.

Cast member Bianca Marroquin plays the lead role of Roxie Hart, a chorus girl in 1950s Chicago who winds up killing one of her nightclub regulars, and in the process becomes one of the most sensational news stories of the time. However, Roxie’s sudden rise to fame begins to upset Velma Kelly, an imprisoned vaudevillian, whose media-friendly notoriety takes an abrupt backseat when the media get word of Roxie.

As the story progresses, the two famed criminals compete for the media’s attention, each with the intention of furthering her career upon release. The two women also compete for the attention of their lawyer, Billy Flynn. The characters of Velma and Roxie require the actresses to handle a broad array of emotions on a nightly basis.

“It’s already been three years playing this character, you gotta keep it fresh,” Marroquin says. “It’s an arc — you have to show the audience Roxie when she’s vulnerable and innocent, then you have to show them how she reaches success and fame and then how she falls down again, but you have got to create that arc every night. With Roxy, it’s like an Olympics of the emotions.”

Having to recreate the same character every night isn’t the only challenge in a touring Broadway production. Marroquin says the challenge of bringing the show to different audiences in different locations every night presents its own challenges for the cast.

“As a performer, I love being on the road, seeing the country,” Marroquin says. “Every theater has a different energy, a different history; every city has a different personality, some are a little more reserved, some are wild.”

Marroquin says another aspect of “Chicago” that sets it apart from a typical production is the stripped-down environment in which the play is performed, which is a contrast to the highly visual film rendition of the musical.

“This show is pretty minimalist. There is hardly any scenery; there’s one frame on stage. The lighting does most of the work for you,” Marroquin says. “What’s amazing about the show is that the star is the production for this show. You leave it all up to the actors; what they have to offer to you is elegant.”

The benefits of seeing live musical theater is one of the greatest forms of entertainment, she says, and “Chicago” is a perfect example of how it can help people forget about what is going on outside the theater and enjoy the performance.

“Come with an open mind; forget about politics and whatever, our job is to entertain you, open your hearts and let us get in there,” Marroquin says. “What the show is about you see every day on the news — it’s about murder, corruption and violence, but we manage it with black humor. It’s hilarious.”

What: “Chicago”

Where: The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, 221 Walnut St.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday- Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $25- $60