Warning: Please note that this article contains spoilers for those who have not watched Chess.

Directed by Chris Wong and Mokshali Raman, the Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS) played all the right moves with its spring musical Chess. In this mega production consisting of an enormous team, the gameboard extends far beyond the tournament between the stories of two Grandmasters—it is a story of allegory revolving around the high-stakes tensions of the Cold War. 

If you haven’t played Chess before, the game is known for its simple rules and its difficulty to master—it is a complex game in that sense. 

complex. definition: when two or more things are true at once.

In the musical Chess, victory and bittersweet loss coexist. Love and loyalty attempt to tear people apart in all kinds of directions. Identity is not always fixed, but lies somewhere between the binary opposites of societal expectation and personal desire.

This is a lot to take in, and the world may seem like it’s on fire, but the music, written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus from the pop group ABBA, eases our stress. With combinations of jiving rock music, synth-pop, power ballads, and lyrics written by Tim Rice, the show captivates the audience. VCDS goes above and beyond to deliver this astounding production with skillful acting, vocals, and creative touches. 

Florence Vassy, played by Diya Tirone, serves as the American grandmaster’s second. Tirone presents Florence as a composed and professional businesswoman assistant, and restrains herself from announcing herself loudly in the first few acts, especially with her troublesome grandmaster commanding the stage. Her acting gradually shifts, however, as Florence grows more independent and ultimately decides to walk away from the American grandmaster. Fierce and grounded, Tirone sings Nobody’s Side, hitting the high notes effortlessly and weaving each note with her delicate, yet liberating manner. 

Lizzy White is a blast as Frederick (Freddie) Trumper, the American grandmaster. With a childlike temper, White swaggered across the stage with boyish fury. Freddie’s aggressive attitude and sudden outbursts in the Press Conference leave a rebellious impression, but beneath the defiance and emotional immaturity, there is more to the character. White also captures Freddie’s undeniable hint of brilliance and talent as the American reigning chess champion, with radiating hostility and sharp eyes in front of the chessboard. 

Choreographers Eileen Lu and Jessica Wang responded to the music in different styles, ranging from ballet-inspired sequences to more aggressive, stylized movements. The ensemble, representing the larger forces of media and propaganda, executed their symbolic roles with exaggerated facial expressions and dazzling, energetic performance. 

“All the dance choreography was intentionally blocked in terms of specific formations and kinds of complexity in dance styles. Chess itself has different pieces and moves, and we wanted to reflect that and diversify the choreography as well. We played around a lot with world-building and aimed to construct something meaningful,” said Wong. 

I would also like to give a special shoutout to the number Anthem. Jacob Dowdall, playing Anatoly Sergievsky, the Soviet Grandmaster, captured this profound song beautifully. His vocals soared across Isabel Bader with grounded sincerity and clarity that conveyed a powerful testament of his love and loyalty to his home country. As he departed his country after winning the championships to be with Florence, there was a sense of bittersweetness that resonated with me. 

“A powerful message in this song is the adversity of feelings humans face. The emotions we gain from having to face and acknowledge the things we supposedly left behind and moved on from are timeless,” Wong stated.

Below is part of an interview I conducted with Wong. This section is edited for clarity and conciseness purposes. 

---

Chen: What do you hope the audience takes away from this performance? 

Wong: In terms of the general message of the story, we hope to convey that even if there is a huge looming pressure, whether it be political or social, that surrounds and affects the choices we make, we should never give up on all the things that connect with us. Even when there are systems or people that try to divide us, we should all strive to continue standing strong in those difficult moments, and do the things we do not just believe in, but what we feel like is the right thing to do. We are a lot stronger than what appears to be oppressing us. 

---

In a chess game, each player is given sixteen pieces total, with each of them having a specific role. Within the chessboard, players make their moves toward their destiny through the limited moves that are available, but the great thing about life is that we have far more possibilities than what can fit in a single chessboard. Behind the layers of focus and systems that may try to pull us apart, we are our very own Arbiters who narrate our story, holding unlimited potential.  

Even when the crippling anxiety attempts to grip us, we must remember that love is full of flaws. We don’t exist without its imperfection, nor can we exist without it. And yet, we keep fighting for our lives like a bad love affair, searching for a way to defeat the systems through our desire to connect. Life may be bound by rules and pressures, but this is ultimately what makes us a society worthy of human beings—we are all part of this game.
Watching the casts come together in One Night in Bangkok, the momentum of the number had me in awe. Like VCDS, campus theatre thrives with the collaboration of extremely talented casts, crews, and musicians with different backgrounds. Together, they are able to reach such an incredible level of coordination. Whatever life may throw at these talented artists, I wish them nothing but the best and hope to see the community grow through love and passion.