CHESS - The Musical's history is nothing short of
astounding, its score nothing short of breathtaking, its many plot
incarnations, like the game itself, nothing short of baffling in their
complexity.
The score alone is highly regarded as one of the best musical theatre
compositions ever written. But Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice, the
show's authors have struggled to make the story's brilliance match that of the
music's and lyrics'.
It was a hit in London and a resounding flop on Broadway, thanks largely to
an infamous review of the show by New York Times critic Frank Rich, which you
can read in full from the
Broadway Reviews page.
The original story has been subject to rewrite after rewrite to try and nail
down its sometimes rambling but nonetheless cerebral (at least for a musical)
plot.
CHESS Concept Album cover
From the original concept album, released ahead of the London opening
(and World Première), through Broadway, Sydney, Auckland, touring productions,
and right up to its last incarnation (in Swedish), CHESS yields a history that
is both fascinating and frustrating.
The latest all-new production has been directed by Lars Rudolfsson (director
of
Kristina från Duvemåla) and with the
direct input of authors Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice. The
Swedish show, known as 'CHESS på
svenska' ('CHESS In Swedish') opened at
Cirkus, Stockholm on the 23rd
February 2002 and ended its run on the 15th June 2003. It has been made
available on DVD.
Two long and informative articles to the background of CHESS can be found on
this site, as well as reviews of the show from both
Broadway and
London
(including New York Times' critic Frank Rich's review which effectively
ended CHESS' Broadway run).
The show was performed in concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London over two
nights in May 2008, starring Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, Kerry Ellis and Adam
Pascal. You can read about it
here and see
pictures from the show (which was filmed for TV and DVD)
here.
The TV broadcast in America, will be on the PBS Television channel and will
be shown on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Eastern Time.
For an insight into some of the troubles surrounding the show's original
journey to both the West End and Broadway, please check out the fascinating
CHESS Press page.
The Swedish DVD of the show (which doesn't have English subtitles) can still
be ordered through some of the bigger Swedish online stores, such as Skivhugget
and also Theatre Music specialists Dress Circle in the UK and Footlights in the
US.
CHESS in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, May 2008 - CD/DVD out soon.
