monkeybard (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monkeybard) wrote2008-05-04 08:14 pm
monkeybard) wrote2008-05-04 08:14 pm
Chess
I could write a fucking dissertaion on Chess. Not the game, the musical. I'd never seen the full stage show before today, but that is irrelevant. I've owned the CDs of the original London concept album for many years. I love this show. Or rather, I love the music and lyrics. NordicBoy and I went to see it today and I can honestly say that the book is bad. Just...not a good script. That said, here's my down and dirty review of the production.
In short, I'm glad I went. It was a good production of a difficult show. If you've not seen the show before, it's worth a trip a cross the lake. But brace yourself, because if you know the music like I do, it isn't always what you're expecting.
Loved:
Svetlana's solo. Like Assassins, the original version of Chess is missing one gem of a song that wasn't written until after the original recording was made. For Assassins that song is "Something Just Broke"; for Chess it is Svetlana's second act solo. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you the title because the program failed to print the traditional list of the musical numbers. That aside, the song was such a wonderful surprise! I've always thought Svetlana got short shrift in the original (although she does have one of my favourite lines ever: "A normal person must dismiss you with disgust and weep for those who trusted you."). Which leads me to...
Svetlana. Friends who saw the preview described her as "a delightful surprise". To this I add my emphatic "Hell yeah!" She was amazing, and I'm pretty sure she was holding back in order to balance with the rest of the cast. Just fantastic. I officially *heart* her. Okay, she "birded" a lot, but a more experienced director could have curbed that bad little habit.
Svetlana's solo. Like Assassins, the original version of Chess is missing one gem of a song that wasn't written until after the original recording was made. For Assassins that song is "Something Just Broke"; for Chess it is Svetlana's second act solo. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you the title because the program failed to print the traditional list of the musical numbers. That aside, the song was such a wonderful surprise! I've always thought Svetlana got short shrift in the original (although she does have one of my favourite lines ever: "A normal person must dismiss you with disgust and weep for those who trusted you."). Which leads me to...
Svetlana. Friends who saw the preview described her as "a delightful surprise". To this I add my emphatic "Hell yeah!" She was amazing, and I'm pretty sure she was holding back in order to balance with the rest of the cast. Just fantastic. I officially *heart* her. Okay, she "birded" a lot, but a more experienced director could have curbed that bad little habit.
Enjoyed:
The American. (He has a name in this version. ... He shouldn't.) The actor had a great voice, great stage presence. Shame he was hamstrung by other factors. More on that later.
The Russian. (He also has a name in this version. He also shouldn't.) Truly lovely voice and stage presence. The right look. The right feel. I only wish he'd had the snarky moments I feel the character needs in specific places. He did a beautiful job on "Anthem", which is vitally important. (Side note to the director: Russians wear their wedding ring on the right hand, not the left.)
The ensemble. They were pretty well balanced vocally -- except the one woman who was just flat out unhearable unless she was facing our direction. Part of that problem is the space, but not all of it. Otherwise they were strong and did what the ensemble should do. They were utilized effectively by the director and had a reasonable balance of parts. I could wish for more bass, but that's a tough order to fill in any community theatre.
Music director as Arbiter. Nice. Can't have been easy for anyone, but they made it work well and she did a really nice job of both jobs.
The American. (He has a name in this version. ... He shouldn't.) The actor had a great voice, great stage presence. Shame he was hamstrung by other factors. More on that later.
The Russian. (He also has a name in this version. He also shouldn't.) Truly lovely voice and stage presence. The right look. The right feel. I only wish he'd had the snarky moments I feel the character needs in specific places. He did a beautiful job on "Anthem", which is vitally important. (Side note to the director: Russians wear their wedding ring on the right hand, not the left.)
The ensemble. They were pretty well balanced vocally -- except the one woman who was just flat out unhearable unless she was facing our direction. Part of that problem is the space, but not all of it. Otherwise they were strong and did what the ensemble should do. They were utilized effectively by the director and had a reasonable balance of parts. I could wish for more bass, but that's a tough order to fill in any community theatre.
Music director as Arbiter. Nice. Can't have been easy for anyone, but they made it work well and she did a really nice job of both jobs.
Had problems with:
Lyric changes. This version had multiple changes of lyric which universally weakened the characters/story, IMO. Without exception every time I a heard a lyric that wasn't the same as the original, I felt it was a lame choice. Shame on you Tim Rice! Stand by your art!
Missing verses. I don't know how much was the fault of the libretto and the changes that were originally made when the show went from London to New York and how much was cut for the production we saw. Whoever is to blame, I wag an angry finger at them. Some of my favourite lines were missing from "The Opening Ceremony" (both the Arbiter's lyrics and the Merchants') and "The Embassy Lament". The whole freaking second verse of "The Embassy Lament" was missing! WTF?? It's a crime, I tell ya! I crime and a bleeding shame.
The American. (Yes, he can be in more than one category.) He's an asshole. He is an unmitigated asshole misogynist. Or rather, he should be. There's nothing sympathetic about the character, and yet there were moments where you were obviously meant to feel for him. No. No, no, no. And once more, NO. This was the fault of the changes in the lyrics. He was weakend and hamstrung by the changes made in the script by the writers. Shame. "Pity the Child" is irony as rock ballad, but when you make The American the slightest bit sympathetic that irony is lost. And I think we all know by now that "I *heart* irony."
The band. They weren't as tight or as clean as they ought to be. Get it together, gang! This is week two. You should have it down by now.
No fight. The big fight between Florence and the Russian was missing. Shame, because that piece gives great insight into the Russian, his motivations, and his general character.
The book. Good story. Lousy script. Lucas writes better dialogue, and we all know that Lucas can't write dialogue.
Lyric changes. This version had multiple changes of lyric which universally weakened the characters/story, IMO. Without exception every time I a heard a lyric that wasn't the same as the original, I felt it was a lame choice. Shame on you Tim Rice! Stand by your art!
Missing verses. I don't know how much was the fault of the libretto and the changes that were originally made when the show went from London to New York and how much was cut for the production we saw. Whoever is to blame, I wag an angry finger at them. Some of my favourite lines were missing from "The Opening Ceremony" (both the Arbiter's lyrics and the Merchants') and "The Embassy Lament". The whole freaking second verse of "The Embassy Lament" was missing! WTF?? It's a crime, I tell ya! I crime and a bleeding shame.
The American. (Yes, he can be in more than one category.) He's an asshole. He is an unmitigated asshole misogynist. Or rather, he should be. There's nothing sympathetic about the character, and yet there were moments where you were obviously meant to feel for him. No. No, no, no. And once more, NO. This was the fault of the changes in the lyrics. He was weakend and hamstrung by the changes made in the script by the writers. Shame. "Pity the Child" is irony as rock ballad, but when you make The American the slightest bit sympathetic that irony is lost. And I think we all know by now that "I *heart* irony."
The band. They weren't as tight or as clean as they ought to be. Get it together, gang! This is week two. You should have it down by now.
No fight. The big fight between Florence and the Russian was missing. Shame, because that piece gives great insight into the Russian, his motivations, and his general character.
The book. Good story. Lousy script. Lucas writes better dialogue, and we all know that Lucas can't write dialogue.
Was utterly disappointed by:
Florence. The actress would make a lovely Marian the Librarian or Fiona McLaren. She'd probably be a charming Guenivere. She might even make a decent Audrey if she were properly mic-ed (miked? If they stuck a body mic on her.) D'you know the show Chess at all? The role of Florence was originated by Elaine Paige. Elaine. Freakin'. Paige. For a present-day B'way equivalent let me put it this way: Were I mounting this show, I would cast Cady Huffman in the role. (Idina Menzel would be my Svetlana, but that's beside the point.) Put it another way, I have not seen an actress so hideously miscast since Marianne Owen played Hero in Much Ado About Nothing at The Rep in the mid-1980s. If none of that makes any sense to you, I'll put it simply. SHE COULDN'T BELT. 'Nuff said.
Florence. The actress would make a lovely Marian the Librarian or Fiona McLaren. She'd probably be a charming Guenivere. She might even make a decent Audrey if she were properly mic-ed (miked? If they stuck a body mic on her.) D'you know the show Chess at all? The role of Florence was originated by Elaine Paige. Elaine. Freakin'. Paige. For a present-day B'way equivalent let me put it this way: Were I mounting this show, I would cast Cady Huffman in the role. (Idina Menzel would be my Svetlana, but that's beside the point.) Put it another way, I have not seen an actress so hideously miscast since Marianne Owen played Hero in Much Ado About Nothing at The Rep in the mid-1980s. If none of that makes any sense to you, I'll put it simply. SHE COULDN'T BELT. 'Nuff said.
In short, I'm glad I went. It was a good production of a difficult show. If you've not seen the show before, it's worth a trip a cross the lake. But brace yourself, because if you know the music like I do, it isn't always what you're expecting.
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I wore out two copies of the concept album (on tape, of course) back when I was in the Navy. Between Murray Head's "One Night In Bankok" and the duet "I know him so well"...oh. Good stuff there. Very much a product of it's times in many ways, but still some good meaty stuff...
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Yeah, those are two of my faves, too. Sanafi and I sang that duet for musical theatre class in college. ... We rocked it. ;D
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We totally concur about the band and music. You've no idea how much we've pined for a percussionist.
did you know (probably not), this was Sventlanas first show since high school?
Also agreement with Florence. Nice person. Internal flinching with her singing. Especially when I can belt that high. *sigh* i think they really really wanted a blonde. Did you notice I'm the only brunette woman in the whole cast?
Who was the unhearable woman? I hope it wasn't me, but I'd rather you tell me if it was. It would be something to fix.
It was also our directors first show ever, and he was quarantined for a week of rehearsal. Poor guy. he picked an ambitious first show, and we think he did pretty well with it. What I was really hoping for was the that choreographer used us better. She had some really good dancers, but gave us such pedestrian moves.
Thanks for coming! I'm glad you finally got to see a production, even if it was bumpy. :D I didn't realize that Redwood Theater had a reputation much. I'm curious?
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Maybe ol' Tim'll get it right with the latest revisions. Who knows? The original music and lyrics are brilliant, although I did like that this version moved the history of chess to the beginning. Much better to use it as set-up than as momentum-killer.
I didn't realize the high blonde content, but now you mention it "One Night in Bangkok" was rather Northern European wasn't it? lol The director needs to look past preconceptions and find the right people for the right parts. I really feel "Florence" was set up for failure. She could hit the notes but she does not have the right voice for the role. She couldn't succeed at it, and it's not fair to do that to an actor.
You were not the unhearable woman. I'd've told you immediately if you were. ;) It was the gal with the fluffy red hair. Her voice carried less than the basses, and that's impressive and disturbing at the same time.
I did feel like the director bit off more than he could chew for a first show, although considering everything I think he did an admirable job. The choreography wasn't bad but it wasn't very exciting, either. Like the duets on the chess board, for example. I got the alegory, but I didn't see a chess game being danced. That was disappointing.
Oh, Redwood, Redwood. We'll go for drinks or something and chat. Or IM me sometime when you're bored and have time to kill. I haven't worked with them, but NordicBoy and Sanafi did, back in the day. Oh my. *shakes head*
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_(musical)
A rather good summary about the changes the book has gone through. But I agree with you, it should be "The Russian" and "The American" - keep the black and white concept of chess in the outlay of politics and competition. Then let all of the emotions spew in their complexing shades of gray.
I did see the original London production in 1989 before it closed. Thus I have a hard time with all of the changed lyrics. Maybe someday Tim Rice will do it right.
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I have a different take on this, as I am allergic to anything ABBA. You think I'm kidding? I have come close to convulsions when exposed to more than three ABBA songs in a row. I lived in Sweden for a year from 1986-1987 and in the spring of '87 I went to London for a week. Just about everyone I talked to before I went said, "Are you going to see Chess?" The answer was always NO! But putting that all aside for the moment, I will admit to enjoying the Murray Head "One Night in Bangkok." I don't feel a need to actually see the whole show, however.
I'm glad to hear that Redwood is getting their act together, as it were. The only show I saw there -- it featured a friend, I had to go -- was pretty mind-numbing. And if memory serves, Jay has some choice stories about the bad old days.
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Yeah, NordicBoy did a show there because the director - an old friend of mine - begged him to. There should be a support group for actors who worked there "before".