A reimagined amateur production of the rock musical Chess, with music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice, at the Theatre Royal.
Nottingham Operatic Society are bringing Chess to the Theatre Royal from Wednesday 28 October to Saturday 31 October, a reimagined production of the rock musical. It's the show's first return to the Theatre Royal since 2010.
Chess started as a concept album by Sir Tim Rice, with music by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. It picked up two Best Musical awards in 1986, and the song 'I Know Him So Well' won an Ivor Novello. The first production ran for three years in the West End, and since then it's been staged all over the world. It's a love story set against the backdrop of American and Russian political rivalry, and the score includes 'One Night in Bangkok', 'Anthem', 'Heaven Help My Heart' and 'I Know Him So Well'.
On stage, Ollie Last plays Frederick Trumper, Lucy Haigh is Florence Vassy, and Kirt Hammonds takes Anatoly Sergievsky. Simon Theobald is Alexander Molokov, Daniel Bogod is Walter de Courcey, Chris Heeley plays the Arbiter, and Cat Perry is Svetlana Sergievskaya. Justine Lee directs and choreographs, with Jonah Williams as musical director.
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Nottingham Operatic Society has been around since 1893, when it started as one of the Nottingham Mechanics Institution's social groups. It's staged over 135 shows and concerts across the city, and the Theatre Royal has been its spiritual home since 1925. It's been a registered charity since 1958, and in 2025 it brought Les Misérables and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Nottingham. Tickets for Chess start from £13.50.
