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Tony nominee Ramin Karimloo (Les Misrables, Anastasia) and Samantha Barks (Pretty Woman, Les Misrables) will co-star in the Benny Andersson-Bjrn Ulvaeus musical Chess at the Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall in Osaka, Japan (January 2528) and at the Tokyo International Forum Hall C in Tokyo (February 19).

Karimloo will play Anatoly with Barks as Florence, Luke Walsh (Rock of Ages) as Freddie, Takanori Sato as the Arbiter, Eliana as Svetlana, and Hideya Masuhara as Molokov. In the video above Karimloo, Barks, Walsh, and the rest of the company rehearse for the upcoming production; watch portions of The Story of Chess, Nobody's Side, Pity the Child, and Anthem.

The ensemble includes Megumi Iino, Hiroaki Ito, Takashi Otsuka, Kana Okamoto, Yousuke Kawano, Naoki Shibahara, Tatsunori Senna, Kota Someya, Nanaka, Ai Ninomiya, Ami Norimatsu, Maya Harada, Kan Muto, Daisuke Moriyama, Sayaka Watabiki, and Kiyoka Wada.

Nick Winston directs and choreographs.

Chess tells a story of love and political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the late 1970s-early 1980s, in which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends. The 1984 musical features music by ABBA songwriters Andersson and Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice.

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Michael Mayer directs the semi-staged concert presentation of the operatic pop-rock musical that features a revised book by Danny Strong.

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Watch Ramin Karimloo and Samantha Barks Belt Out Chess Tunes in Rehearsal for Japan Production - Playbill.com