Chess

SecondStory Repertory
16587 NE 74th Street Redmond

With music by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Mamma Mia) and lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita), this musical drama involves a romantic triangle between two top players -- an American and a Russian -- and the woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Loosely based on the lives of chess grandmasters Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov, the rock opera plays out against the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, with each wanting to win international tournaments for purposes of propaganda. It's an intriguing tale of romantic rivalries, cunning gamesmanship and political tensions. Time Magazine says that Chess has "one of the best rock scores ever produced."