Chess

The critically acclaimed Rock Opera collaboration between ABBA stars Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersoon, and Tim rice. The musical takes place at the World Chess Championships between Russia and America. Chess tells the story of a complex love triangle set against the sinister intrigue of the Cold War.

Our performance

BLOC's performance of Chess will be performed at the Theature Royal with a cast of 29 as well as a full 25 piece orchestra in the heart of Sydney between the 8th and the 17th of May 2008. Tickets can be booked through Ticketek here.

Plot synopsis

Act 1

The world chess championship is being held in the northern Italian town of Merano. The brash American champion relishes the crowd's affection, while his Russian challenger and Molokov, his second (actually a KGB agent), watch with curiosity and disdain on TV. The opening ceremony features an arbiter insisting on holding the proceedings together, US and Soviet diplomats vowing their side will win, and marketers just looking to make a buck. The American storms out of a rules meeting, leaving his second, Florence, in an argument with the Arbiter and the Russians. She later scolds him, but he insists that she, a child Emigre who escaped Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, should support him. Instead, she reflects that "nobody's on nobody's side". The first game of the match goes badly, with dirty tricks nearly evolving into a brawl. A meeting to smooth things over goes badly and ends with the Russian and Florence together, where they quickly develop feelings for each other. As the matches continue, the American flounders and blames Florence, who leaves him. The Russian wins the championship, then defects to the west. Answering reporters' questions about his loyalties, his "Anthem" declares that "my land's only borders lie around my heart."

Act 2

A year later, the Russian is set to defend his championship in Bangkok, Thailand. The American is already there, chatting up locals about the nightlife. Florence and the Russian are now lovers, and upon hearing the news on the television that the Russian's wife has been allowed to leave the USSR to attend the match, the couple argue. The wife and Florence both reflect on their relationships with him. The American goes to the Russian with information about Florence's long-lost father, claiming that instead of being a hero as she believed, he was a collaborator. The Russian, and later Florence, dismiss him, unwilling to hear what he has to say. The American reflects on his life and his obsession with chess as a way to escape an unhappy childhood. In the deciding game of the match, The Russian manages an exceptional victory, and realizes that it may be the only success he can achieve - his wife castigates him for wallowing in the crowd's empty praise. Both acknowledge they are doomed to care only for themselves. Later, he and Florence reflect on their story that seemed so promising, and how they "go on pretending/ stories like ours/ have happy endings."^[1]

^[1]Adapted from www.wikipedia.org