An American and a Russian walk into a chess competition - but Dean Cocker says this isn't the start of a joke: these two are "fighting for the west and for love".
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The Launceston theatre stalwart is in final dress rehearsals as the aforementioned Russian in the cast of Encore Theatre Company's upcoming production of Broadway darling Chess The Musical.
Set during the coldest portion of the Cold War, a freezing point when every frontier was as important as the last - including a chess tournament between two grandmasters - the '80s pop-rock musical includes songs written by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus like One Night in Bangkok and I Know Him So Well.
"This is a show that is one of the musical theatre genre's most iconic," Cocker said.
"It ropes in Cold War intrigue, the Soviet regime tearing lives apart, and a great degree of tragedy that gives it a real emotion alongside the fantastic music.
"I had to be a part of this production."
But, despite its setting, Chess isn't just a frigid political drama, it's a heated one: the grandmaster pair's fight isn't just over the world championship, nor the Soviet Bloc versus the Land of the Free - there's also the love of a woman at stake.
Playing opposite Cocker's Russian grandmaster Anatoly Sergievsky is Scott Farrow as his American foil, Freddie Trumper, while Samatha Hammersley plays the pair's love interest, Florence Vassy.
The local theatre company is bringing the pop-rock show to the Princess Theatre stage with "some of Tasmania's finest voices" according to its director Denise Sam.
"This production will employ bold story-telling, epic vocals with a large cast led by some of the very best singers in the state, a choir and an extraordinary pop orchestra, powerful contemporary dance and will feature state-of-the-art visuals and audio," Ms Sam said.
"Everything about this production is huge, and we've mustered a small army of volunteers to realise the dream of bringing Chess The Musical to the Princess Theatre."
Chess The Musical will arrive at the Princess Theatre from March 8 to 23, with tickets already available at the Theatre North Website.
Declan Durrant
Declan Durrant has a passion for poetry, visual arts, and theatre, and is The Examiner's arts critic and culture reporter. Got a story? Get in touch: declan.durrant@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Declan Durrant has a passion for poetry, visual arts, and theatre, and is The Examiner's arts critic and culture reporter. Got a story? Get in touch: declan.durrant@austcommunitymedia.com.au
