Chess (musical)

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Chess
Music Björn Ulvaeus
Benny Andersson
Lyrics Tim Rice
Björn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice, and Benny Andersson, the creators of Chess
Björn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice, and Benny Andersson, the creators of Chess

Chess is a musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA. The story involves a romantic triangle between two players in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Although the protagonists were not intended to represent any specific individuals, the characters’ personalities are loosely based on those of Victor Korchnoi and Bobby Fischer.

Following the pattern of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, a concept album of Chess was recorded in 1984, and generated a number of hit singles. The first theatrical version of Chess opened in London's West End in 1986 and played for three years. A much-altered production premiered on Broadway in 1988 but was badly received by most critics and didn't attract large audiences. Chess, like Candide and other "cult" musicals, is frequently revised for new productions, many of which try to merge elements from both the London and Broadway versions.

Chess came seventh in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the United Kingdom's "Number One Essential Musicals". [1]

Contents

[edit] The studio album

Chess, the concept album
Chess, the concept album

[edit] Principal cast

Note that on the concept album, the characters "The American" and "The Russian" were given no other names. This was changed when the score was expanded and adapted for the stage.

[edit] Songs

  • "Merano"
  • "The Russian and Molokov" / "Where I Want to Be"
  • "Opening Ceremony"
  • "Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)"
  • "The American and Florence" / "Nobody's Side"
  • "Chess"
  • "Mountain Duet"
  • "Florence Quits"
  • "Embassy Lament"
  • "Anthem"
  • "Bangkok" / "One Night in Bangkok"
  • "Heaven Help My Heart"
  • "Argument"
  • "I Know Him So Well"
  • "The Deal (No Deal)"
  • "Pity the Child"
  • "Endgame"
  • "Epilogue: You and I" / "The Story of Chess"

The concept album of Chess was recorded and released in 1984, before any stage production was underway. It was produced at the Polar Music studios in Stockholm, engineered by Michael B. Tretow. The musical was not fixed upon entering the recording studio, various lyrics were tried for several songs used, and some songs, such as When the Waves Roll Out to Sea, didn't make it to the final double LP. A single from the album, "One Night In Bangkok", performed by Murray Head with Anders Glenmark became a worldwide smash and reached No.3 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, while the duet, "I Know Him So Well", by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson, held the number one spot on the UK singles charts for 4 weeks in February 1985 and won Ivor Novello Award as the Best Selling Single ('A' Side). Unlike the versions of the musical to come later, the two main characters of the Russian and American were unnamed, and there was little plot.

In the fall of 1984, the concert performance of the concept album by the original album cast premiered in Stockholm, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, and London, in a tour that was sponsored by another famous Swedish export, Scania.

The double album received critical accolades - "dazzling score that covers nearly all the pop bases" (Rolling Stone), "rock symphonic synthesis ripe with sophistication and hummable tunes" (Time) - and was a major commercial success worldwide. For seven weeks it remained at No.1 on the Swedish album chart, became a Top 10 hit in UK and reached No. 47 on the Billboard 200 Albums in the US. It also garnered several prestigious awards, including Germany's Golden Europa Award, Dutch music prize Edison Award and the Swedish prize Rockbjörnen.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Act 1

The world chess championship is being held in the northern Italian town of Merano. The brash American champion relishes the crowd's affection, while his Russian challenger and Molokov, his second (actually a KGB agent), watch with curiosity and disdain on TV. The opening ceremony features an arbiter insisting on holding the proceedings together, US and Soviet diplomats vowing their side will win, and marketers just looking to make a buck. The American storms out of a rules meeting, leaving his second, Florence, in an argument with the Arbiter and the Russians. She later scolds him, but he insists that she, a child emigre who escaped Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, should support him. Instead, she reflects that "nobody's on nobody's side". The first game of the match goes badly, with dirty tricks nearly evolving into a brawl. A meeting to smooth things over goes badly and ends with the Russian and Florence together, where they quickly develop feelings for one another. As the matches continue, the American flounders and blames Florence, who leaves him. The Russian wins the championship, then defects to the west. Answering reporters' questions about his loyalties, his "Anthem" declares that "my land's only borders lie around my heart."

[edit] Act 2

A year later, the Russian is set to defend his championship in Bangkok, Thailand. The American is already there, chatting up locals about the nightlife. Florence and the Russian are now lovers, and upon hearing the news on the television that Anatoly's wife has been allowed to leave the USSR to attend the match, the couple argue. The wife and Florence both reflect on their relationships with him. The American goes to the Russian with information about Florence's long-lost father, claiming that instead of being a hero as she believed, he was a collaborator. The Russian, and later Florence, dismiss him, unwilling to hear what he has to say. The American reflects on his life and his obsession with chess as a way to escape an unhappy childhood. In the deciding game of the match, The Russian manages an exceptional victory, and realizes that it may be the only success he can achieve - Svetlana castigates him for wallowing in the crowd's empty praise. Both acknowledge they are doomed to care only for themselves. Later, he and Florence reflect on their story that seemed so promising, and how they "go on pretending/ stories like ours/ have happy endings."

[edit] London

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Songs

Act One

  • The Story of Chess
  • Merano
  • Commie Newspapers / Press Conference
  • Anatoly and Molokov / Where I Want to Be
  • US vs. USSR (Diplomats)
  • The Arbiter's Song
  • Hymn to Chess
  • Merchandisers
  • Chess #1
  • The Arbiter - Reprise
  • Quartet - A Model of Decorum and Tranquility
  • Florence & Molokov
  • 1956 - Budapest is Rising
  • Nobody's Side
  • Der Kleine Franz
  • Mountain Duet / Who'd Ever Think It?
  • Chess #2
  • Florence Quits
  • Pity the Child
  • Embassy Lament
  • Heaven Help My Heart
  • Anatoly and the Press)
  • Anthem

Act Two

  • The Golden Ballet/ One Night in Bangkok
  • One More Opponent / You and I
  • The Soviet Machine
  • The Interview
  • The Deal
  • I Know Him So Well
  • Talking Chess
  • Endgame
  • You and I - Reprise
  • Finale

Chess premiered in the Prince Edward Theatre in London on 14 May 1986. It was originally set to be directed by Michael Bennett, but he withdrew for health reasons that would later turn out to be AIDS, but not before casting the show and commissioning the expansive set and costume designs. The show was rescued by director Trevor Nunn, who shepherded the show on to its scheduled opening, albeit with considerable technical difficulty.

According to set designer Robin Wagner, interviewed in Lynn Pecktal's book Set Design, the original Bennett version was to be a "multimedia" show, with an elaborate tilting floor, banks of television monitors, and other technological touches. Nunn, realizing he couldn’t bring Bennett’s vision to fruition, applied his realistic style to the show, although the basics of the mammoth set design were still present in Nunn's show. This included the three videowalls, the main of which featured commmentary from chess grandmaster William Hartston, along with appearances from BBC newsreaders. The premiere of the musical provoked a mixed verdict from the critics and, according to Variety magazine, "one of the bigger West End mob-scenes in recent memory". Most of the naysaying notices had comments ranging from "far too long" and "shallow" to The Guardian's conclusion that "a musical is only as good as its book, and here one is confronted by an inchoate mess". Several London papers were on the other end of scale, including Daily Telegraph which said the show "compels admiration", while The Times noted that "it turns out to be a fine piece of work that shows the dinosaur mega-musical evolving into intelligent form of life." Some writers, notably Frank Rich and Ken Mandelbaum, have pointed out that final product was hampered by the starkly different styles of Bennett, who was creating a flamboyant, elaborate, and stylish show, and Nunn, who was more attuned to realism and grandiosity (an example being Nunn's addition of dozens of chairs, desks, tables, and photographic backdrops to the otherwise stylized, high-tech set).

In London, Chess was a massive physical production, with estimated costs up to $12 million. It expanded the storyline of the concept album, adding considerable new recitive dialogue. It attracted several West End stars, such as Anthony Stewart Head, Grenia Renihan, David Burt, and Peter Karrie, in its three year run.

The West End production won a London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical and received three Laurence Olivier Award nominations: Best Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Körberg) and Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Paige).

Chess closed in London on 8 April 1989.

[edit] Plot Synopsis

Act 1

The head of the International Federation explains the history of the game of chess, as we move to the northern Italian town of Merano, where this years championship's are taking place. As the townsfolk prepare for the occasion, the brash American champion, Frederick Trumper arrives with his second, Hungarian orphan Florence Vassey. In their hotel room, Florence explains to Freddy that the press will portray him badly if he continues with his bad boy attitude, just before he heads off to a press conference where he attacks a journalist who questions his relationship with Miss Vassey. His Russian challenger, Anatoly Sergievsky, and Alexander Molokov, his second (actually a KGB agent), watch with curiosity and disdain on TV, before Anatoly laments as to how he has got to where he has.

The opening ceremony features an arbiter insisting on holding the proceedings together, US and Soviet diplomats vowing their side will win, and marketers just looking to make a buck. During the chess match, Freddy believes that the Russians are tampering with the game and storms off, leaving the chessboard on the floor, and Florence to pick up the pieces with Anatoly, Molokov, and the Arbiter, whereby she agrees to bring Freddie and Anatoly together to sort out their issues. It turns out that Freddy engineered the stunt to get a higher price from the TV company; when Florence finds out, they argue, leading Florence to lose it with Freddy when he brings her father, believed captured by the Russians during the 1956 uprising, into the argument. She reflects that "nobody's on nobody's side," before heading off to the Merano Mountain Inn for the meeting between East and West. Freddie doesn't turn up, leaving Anatoly and Florence to eventually embrace, before being interrupted by Freddie, who has been engineering new financial terms.

After the next chess game, Florence leaves Freddie, whereby he laments on how his unhappy childhood left him the man he is today. Florence goes with Anatoly to the British Embassy, where he attempts to seek exile in the west, and she reflects on whether it is best to love a stranger. Walter de Courcey, however, has his own plans, and has tipped off the media, who ambush the pair at Merano station. Anatoly tells the awaiting audience that his land's only borders lie around his heart.


Act 2

A year later, the Russian is set to defend his championship in Bangkok, Thailand. Freddie is already there, chatting up locals about the nightlife before taking his place as television presenter for the championship. Florence and the Russian are now lovers, and worry about the situation, especially the impending arrival of his wife, Svetlana, from Russia. Molokov, meanwhile, has trained a new protege, Viigand, to challenge the Russian, meanwhile spying on the opposing pair.

Walter manipulates Freddie into rattling the Russian on live TV , showing him footage of his wife's arrival. She and Florence both reflect on their relationships with him. Molokov blackmails Svetlana into making Anatoly lose the match, whilst de Courcey informs Florence that her father is still alive in Russia, and will be released if Anatoly loses. Neither of these ploys work, so Molokov and deCourcey attempt to get Freddie to convince the pair to throw the match.

However Freddie is more interested in winning back the love of Florence. Secretly, Freddie arranges to meet Anatoly in a temple, whereby he informs Sergievsky of a flaw in his challenger's game In the deciding game of the match, the Russian manages an exceptional victory, and realizes that it may be the only success he can achieve - Svetlana castigates him for wallowing in the crowd's empty praise, whilst Florence is similarly annoyed with him for casting aside his moral ideals. Later, he and Florence reflect on their story that seemed so promising, and how they "go on pretending/ stories like ours/ have happy endings." Florence is left alone, when de Courcey informs her that Anatoly has defected back to the USSR, meaning that her father will be released, that is, if he is actually alive.... Florence breaks down, telling Walter that he is using people's lives for nothing, before repeating Anatoly's sentiments from the end of Act One, that her only borders lie around her heart.

[edit] Broadway

Chess, Broadway recording
Chess, Broadway recording

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Songs

Act One

  • Prologue
  • The Story of Chess
  • Press Conference(not on album)
  • Where I Want to Be
  • How Many Women
  • Merchandisers(not on album)
  • U.S. vs U.S.S.R. (not on album)
  • Chess Hymn
  • Chess (not on album)
  • Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)
  • You Want to Lose Your Only Friend?
  • Someone Else's Story
  • One Night in Bangkok
  • Terrace Duet
  • Florence Quits(not on album)
  • Nobody's Side
  • Anthem

Act Two

  • The Arbiter (not on album)
  • Hungarian Folk Song
  • Heaven Help My Heart
  • No Contest
  • You and I
  • A Whole New Board Game (not on album)
  • Let's Work Together (not on album)
  • I Know Him So Well
  • Pity the Child
  • Lullaby (Apukad eros kezen)
  • Endgame
  • You and I (Reprise)
  • Anthem (Reprise) (not on album)

After London, the creative team decided that the show had to be reimagined from the top down. Trevor Nunn brought in playwright Richard Nelson to recreate the musical as a straightforward "book show". Nunn brought in new, younger principals (after having disqualified Paige from playing Florence by insisting Nelson recreate the character as an American). The story changed drastically, with different settings, characters, and many different plot elements, although the basic plot remained the same. The changes necessitated the score to be reordered as well, and comparisons of the Broadway cast recording and the original concept album reveal the dramatic extent of the changes. Robin Wagner completely redesigned the set, which featured a ground-breaking design of mobile towers that shifted continuously throughout the show, in an attempt to give it a sense of cinematic fluidity.

The first preview on 11 April 1988 reportedly ran 4 hours; by opening night on 28 April, it was down to 3 hours 15 minutes. Many critics panned the show, most notably Frank Rich of The New York Times, who wrote that "the evening has the theatrical consistency of quicksand". A few reviewers, however - from Time and The New Yorker in particular - praised it very highly. William A. Henry III wrote in Time: "Clear narrative drive, Nunn's cinematic staging, three superb leading performances by actors willing to be complex and unlikeable and one of the best rock scores ever produced in the theater. This is an angry, difficult, demanding and rewarding show, one that pushes the boundaries of the form". Rich later noted, in his collection ‘’The Hot Seat’’, that "the score retains its devoted fans."

Although the musical had developed something of a cult following based primarily on the score as heard on the original concept album, the Broadway production never sustained a large audience, and closed on 25 June, after 17 previews and 68 regular performances, despite further cuts for time. According to Gerald Schoenfeld, co-producer of the show: "The musical had been playing to about 80 percent capacity, which is considered good, but about 50 percent of the audience have held special, half-priced tickets. If we filled the house at 100 percent at half price, we'd go broke and I haven't seen any surge of tourist business yet this season. The show needs a $350,000 weekly gross to break even, but only a few weeks since its April 28 opening have reached that....You have to consider what your grosses are going to be in the future". (USA Today, June 21, 1988)

Nelson's book is a frequent target of scorn from critics and fans alike, though it has its supporters. Many subsequent attempts have been made to fix its perceived problems. Nonetheless, Nelson's book is still used in many American productions, because a contractual stipulation prevents the London version, which many believe to be the source of the show's popularity and appeal, from being performed within the United States.

Despite mostly unfavorable reviews, the Broadway production picked up several major award nominations. It got five nods from the Drama Desk Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Carroll), Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Kuhn), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Goz), Outstanding Music (Andersson and Ulvaeus) and Outstanding Lighting Design (Hersey), plus two Tony Award nominations for Carroll and Kuhn in Leading Actor in a Musical and Leading Actress in a Musical categories. None of the nominations resulted in the win, but Philip Casnoff did receive the 1988 Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance. Broadway Cast recording of the musical was nominated for Grammy Award in the category Best Musical/Show Album.

In 2001, in an interview with San Francisco Chronicle, Tim Rice admitted that after the "comparative failure of Chess, his all-time favorite, he became disillusioned with theater." He commented, "it may sound arrogant, but Chess is as good as anything I've ever done. And maybe it costs too much brainpower for the average person to follow it", he said (San Francisco Chronicle, July 22, 2001).

[edit] Plot synopsis

The American version has different settings and a completely different Act 2. In particular, the entire show is about one chess tournament, not two. Act 1 handles the first part of the tournament, which is held in Bangkok, while Act 2 handles the conclusion, and is set in Budapest.

[edit] Act 1

The world chess championship is being held in Bangkok. At a press conference, the brash American challenger, Freddie Trumper, relishes the crowd's affection, while the current Russian champion, Anatoly Sergievsky, and Molokov, his second, watch with curiosity and disdain. During the match Freddie accuses Anatoly of receiving outside help via the flavor of yogurt he is eating, and Freddie storms out, leaving his second, Florence, in an argument with the Arbiter and the Russians. She later scolds him, but he insists that she, a child emigre who escaped Hungary during the 1956 uprisings, should support him.

A meeting to smooth things over goes badly and ends with the Russian and Florence together, where they quickly develop feelings for one another. Freddie was supposed to attend, but got sidetracked by the nightlife, and arrived late to see Anatoly and Florence holding hands. When he later accuses her of conspiring against him, she reflects that "nobody's on nobody's side", and decides to leave him. As the matches continue, the American flounders, finishing Act 1 with 1 win and 5 losses; one more loss will cost him the tournament. Anatoly surprises everyone by defecting at the end of Act 1. Answering reporters' questions about his loyalties, his "Anthem" declares that "my land's only borders lie around my heart."

[edit] Act 2

Eight weeks later, everyone is in Budapest to witness the conclusion of the tournament. Florence is elated to be back in her hometown of Budapest, but dismayed that she remembers none of it, not even what happened to her Father, since he had to leave her in 1956. Molokov offers to help and starts 'investigating' Florence's father's fate. The plot quickly spins into political intrigue involving the Russians’ attempts to get Anatoly back; even Svetlana, Anatoly's estranged wife, has been flown into Budapest to pressure him indirectly. These threats strain Anatoly's relationship with Florence, and she shares her woes with Svetlana. The stress impedes Anatoly's ability to play chess, so that Freddie starts winning games until they are tied 5-5. Molokov brings Florence to see a man claiming to be her father, and implies that harm with come to the man if Florence remains with Anatoly.

During the final game Anatoly realizes that despite all the harm he has brought with his defection, he cannot hurt his true love, Florence, by depriving her of her father. He chooses to recant his defection, and makes a tactical error. Freddie immediately takes advantage of the blunder and proceeds to win the game and the tournament, becoming the new world champion. Anatoly returns to Moscow a broken man.

Florence is waiting for her father so they can leave for America when she is approached by Walter. He confesses to her that the old man is not her father and her father is most likely dead. It seems that the Soviets struck a deal with Walter, a secret CIA agent, that if they managed to get Anatoly back, they would release a captured American spy. Their initial attempts at getting Anatoly back by using Svetlana and other family members had failed, and they had finally succeeded by using Florence. As the curtain closes, Florence has left Freddie, been lost by Anatoly, and lost the father she never had, and she realizes that like Anatoly, her “only borders lie around her heart.”

[edit] The "Chess In Concert" album

This is a recording of a concert performance (not a full stage production) in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1994. The songs and lyrics are largely identical to the studio album, with the addition of "Someone Else's Story" from the Broadway version and "The Soviet Machine", from the London version..

Chess In Concert recording
Chess In Concert recording

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Songs

  • Merano
  • The Russian and Molokov / Where I Want To Be
  • Opening Ceremony
  • Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)
  • The American and Florence / Nobody's Side
  • Chess
  • Mountain Duet
  • Florence Quits
  • Someone Else's Story
  • Embassy Lament
  • Anthem
  • Bangkok / One Night in Bangkok
  • The Soviet Machine
  • Heaven Help My Heart
  • Argument
  • I Know Him So Well
  • The Deal (No Deal)
  • Pity The Child
  • Endgame
  • Epilogue: You And I / The Story of Chess

[edit] The Danish tour

The Complete Recording - Danish Tour Album
The Complete Recording - Danish Tour Album

In late 2001, a Danish tour was created, directed by Craig Revel-Horwood. A 2-CD album of the tour of Chess was released. The tour followed the London version of the musical, with the addition of "Someone Else's Story", given to Svetlana in Act Two. The first release of the album had the complete London score (minus small portions of underscoring), however this was pulled from circulation, to be replaced with a version closer to the original concept album.

[edit] Principal cast

  • Florence Vassy - Emma Kershaw
  • Anatoly Sergievsky - Stig Rossen
  • Freddie Trumper - Zubin Varla
  • Svetlana Sergievskaya - Gunilla Backman
  • Alexander Molokov - Simon Clark
  • Walter DeCourcey - James Graeme
  • The Arbiter - Michael Cormick

[edit] The 2002 Stockholm Version

Chess På Svenska - DVD Cover
Chess På Svenska - DVD Cover

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Songs

Act One

  • Ouvertyr
  • Historien om schack (Story of Chess)
  • Där jag ville vara (Where I Want to Be)
  • Merano
  • Anatolij och Molokov (The Russian and Molokov)
  • Ungern '56 (Florence and the American)
  • Lämna inga dörrar på glänt (Nobody's Side)
  • Jag vill se schack (The Arbiter's Song)
  • Chess
  • Kvartett - En förebild för dygd och högst ambition (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)
  • Lärarens historia
  • Inte jag (Someone Else's Story)
  • (Embassy Lament)
  • Möte på en bro (Mountain Duet)
  • Hon är min enda vän (A Taste of Pity)
  • Om Florences far
  • I mitt hjärtas land (Anthem)

Act Two

  • Florence lämnar Freddie (Argument)
  • Vem ser ett barn (Pity the Child)
  • Ni dömer mig (Endgame)
  • Om han var här (Heaven Help My Heart)
  • Han är en man, han är ett barn
  • Merano Dance Music (US vs USSR, Merchandisers) (Unrecorded)
  • Vem kunde ana (The Deal)
  • Drömmar av glas (You and I)
  • Jag vill se schack (The Arbiter's Song)
  • Jag vet vad han vill (I Know Him So Well)
  • Glöm mig om du kan
  • Capablanca
  • Drömmar av glas / Historien om schack (You and I / The Story of Chess)

In late 2001, rumours began to circulate about a new production in Stockholm. Written entirely in Swedish, with lyrics and book by Björn Ulvaeus, Lars Rudolffson, and Jan Mark, it attempted to streamline the story back to its original form and eliminate the aspects of political potboiler that had come to define the show. Featuring new musical numbers ("Han är en man, han är ett barn" and "Glöm mig om du kan") and focusing on material from the concept album, the Stockholm version was a drastic rewrite. It was filmed for Swedish television, and has been released on a Swedish-language DVD. The Original Swedish Cast CD "Chess På Svenska" peaked at No.2 on Swedish album chart.

The Stockholm production was nominated for eight national Swedish Theatre Awards Guldmasken and won six of them, including Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Helen Sjöholm), Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Tommy Körberg), and Best Stage Design (Robin Wagner)


[edit] Actor's Fund of America Concert 2003

Actor's Fund of America Concert
Actor's Fund of America Concert

Presented on September 22, 2003 in the New Amsterdam Theater, Broadway. The show was a mixture of both the Broadway and London versions, and was produced without set or costume changes, and with the orchestra onstage. The show was recorded for posterity. Directed by Peter Flynn, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli and musical directed by conductor Seth Rudetsky.

[edit] Principal cast

[edit] Songs

  • Prologue
  • Merano
  • The Russian And The Molokov
  • Where I Want To Be
  • Diplomats
  • The Arbiter
  • Hymn Of Chess
  • Merchandisers
  • Quartet - A Model of Decorum and Tranquility
  • Florence and Molokov
  • 1956 - Budapest is Rising
  • Nobody's Side
  • Der Kleiner Franz
  • Mountain Duet
  • Chess
  • Florence Quits
  • Embassy Lament
  • Anatoly and The Press
  • Anthem
  • Bangkok
  • One Night In Bangkok
  • Heaven Help My Heart
  • You And I
  • Someone Else's Story
  • Interview
  • Pity The Child
  • The Deal
  • I Know Him So Well
  • Endgame
  • You And I (Reprise)
  • The Story Of Chess
  • Finale



[edit] St. Svithun vgs, Stavanger, Norway 2007

An amateur production, starring music students attending the St. Svithun High School/College in Stavanger, Norway, was staged in 2007. The storyline and song order was the same as the London production, with the addition of Someone Else's Story in Act 2.

[edit] Principal Cast

  • Anatoly Sergievsky- Geirmund Hansen
  • Florence Vassy - Helena Tjelle Bakke
  • Freddie Trumper - Inge Andreas Jacobsen
  • Svetlana Sergievsky - Guro Tveitnes
  • The Arbiter - Hallvard Ladstein
  • Alexander Molokov - Erik Vistnes
  • Walter de Courcey - Simon Breivik
  • Mayor of Merano - Lars Ueland Norås
  • Flower-Girl - Jill Hviding

The score was arranged for orchestra with 3 keyboards, two flutes, three trumpets, two bassoons, four violins, two cellos, one percussion, one drum-set, one electric bass and one guitarist. A 40 person choir an 4 girls in the pop-choir was also present. The production recieved very good reviews and was compared by many directly to the London musical.

[edit] Around the world: 1990 - 2006

Chess was now a mixed success, combining the popularity of a smash hit album and the problems of a critically derided script - in other words, fertile ground for those seeking to "get it right," even though historical conditions and the fall of the Soviet Union severely compromised the timeliness of the story. The first major attempt at a revival was the American tour, which ran from January - July 1990. This tour, which starred Carolee Carmello, John Herrera, and Stephen Bogardus, was staged by Des McAnuff, who was brought in at the eleventh hour when Trevor Nunn declined to be involved. Robert Coe, the playwright who worked with McAnuff on revising the show, restored most of the original song order from London and deleted the new songs written for the Broadway version, but had only 4 weeks to complete a complex rewrite. (The performing editions in the United States retain Nelson’s book.) The seven-month-long tour was not a major success, but it did garner some positive reviews. A separate tour in the United Kingdom, starring Rebecca Storm, was a smash.

Also in 1990 was the production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, near Chicago. Directed by David H. Bell and starring Susie McMonagle, David Studwell and Kim Strauss, it featured another reworking of the Nelson script. Bell's version has been performed in Sacramento and Atlanta as well. Tim Rice was involved in a 1990 production in Sydney, Australia, where Jim Sharman directed a total rewrite done primarily by Rice. It starred Jodie Gillies, David McLeod, and Robbie Krupski, with the action shifted to an international hotel in Bangkok during the chess championshops, and was a critical and popular success. A later Australian production opened at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in 1997, with Barbara Dickson taking the lead role of Florence (not Svetlana, as she had sung on the original studio cast album). Co-stars included Derek Metzger and Daryl Braithwaite.

Chess was, even in 1990, trying to keep itself modern; the ending of the Cold War was noted in all new versions of the show. Once the Soviet Union fell, the modernisation attempts died out, and the clock was set back: Tim Rice's 1990 rewrite that played a brief run Off-Broadway went all the way back to 1972. The Chess mania that had begun in the U.K. more or less died down to a string of occasional productions of the Broadway and London versions for the next decade.

In 1995, the Los Angeles production of Chess at Hollywood's Hudson Theater starring Marcia Mitzman (who played Svetlana in the original Broadway production) as Florence and Sean Smith as Anatoly garnered good reviews. For their performances both Mitzman and Smith each won Ovation Award and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.

There have been further rumours of a new production, and Tim Rice has mentioned on several occasions his desire to bring a translated version back to London and / or Broadway, but no firm announcements have been made thus far, although there have been new major productions in Baltimore and Denmark, as well as a well-received concert version in New York.

There are still touring and regional stagings in various parts of the world, such as the 2006 performance at the outdoor Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

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