‘It’s got Alexandra Burke in it?!!’ was the main comment (of surprise) in my theatre Whatsapp group when we started discussing the revival of ‘Chess’ at ENO’s London Coliseum. I had seen ‘Chess’ in Sheffield in 2010, and thought it was OK but fell into the category of ‘forgettable musicals’. I expected much the same this time around. The truth is that, while Alexandra Burke was far better than expected, there were so many unbelievable moments in this production that she was the very least of my surprises.

What unbelievable moments? Where to even start. The huge screens bordering the stage which were used both to add in scene settings (a plane landing…) and to magnify the performers’ faces like rock stars (very useful for those of us who were up at the back in the cheap seats!). The chorus who managed to make both Russian dancing and Thai acrobatics look easy (the acrobatics on aerial silks had me mesmerised). The fantastic music, with the lovely little nods to Benny and Bjorn’s ABBA history (yes, we spotted the little snippet of ‘Take a Chance on Me’!). And, of course, THOSE big name performances.

Michael Ball has been one of my greatest heroes of musical theatre since I was tiny. When he performed in ‘Aspects of Love’, I was sadly a little too young to see it but my parents went and brought the soundtrack home with them, so I grew up listening to his voice on CD in my parents’ living room. People always warn you that heroes can disappoint you in person but I’m happy to say that on this occasion they are completely wrong. His powerful, emotional voice completely dominated the stage.

I’d never heard of Tim Howar but I loved his performance as Freddie Trumper- just the right balance of humour, belligerence and sadness. Another artist who was stunning was Cassidy Janson who brought so much depth to Florence. Listening to her and Alexandra Burke singing ‘I Know Him So Well’ more or less brought me to tears- something that rarely happens for me even as a frequent theatregoer!

And Alexandra herself? Yep. A much better Svetlana than I expected. She’s come a long way since The X Factor… Just as this production of ‘Chess’ has come a long way from the one I saw in 2010. It is many things, but ‘forgettable’ isn’t one of them.

Overall: Well worth 3 hours of your time. Stunning.