It was the northern premiere of the musical and Barrow Amateur did the town proud.
Because the show is nearly all sung, and there are very few spoken words, the actors had to put all their emotions across in song, stated the review.
Kenny Smyth as the American world chess champion Frederick Trumper did this brilliantly.
He had a strong rock voice and performed his songs really well, and his added dramatic dimension made him a force to be reckoned with, said the review.
Sarah Flanaghan as Florence Vassey, Trumper's chess second and lover, gave a moving performance as the woman who kept putting love for the men in her life before her own interests.