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Making all the right moves
Chess Wolverhampton Grand
THESE days you have to be able to sing, dance,
act and play a musical instrument to go on stage and the cast of 26
manage that brilliantly in this revival of Tim Rice's Cold War musical. You even have to be able to operate a video camera on
the end of your trumpet to provide a live video feed as part of the
stunning audio visual effects which involve a huge video screen as a
back wall and an illuminated floor. Back in the 1960s and 70s the US and USSR squabbled
over everything with the space race and the Olympics regular
battlegrounds as they tried to turn sporting or scientific achievement
into some sort of proof of social and political superiority. When the USA found it had a chess genius in Bobby
Fischer, the board game, which up to then had the same sort of world
profile as Ludo when it came to TV and media coverage, was suddenly
prime time. It culminated in the 1972 World Championship between
Fischer, the challenger, and the champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik. This was Uncle Sam against the Russian Bear, white
against black, Superbowl on a board. War by proxy. Now, with the Cold War having thawed, chess, which
even its biggest supporters would admit was never a game which lent
itself to TV, is back to its Ludo status. The musical centres on a fictional match between the
mentally unstable US world champion Freddie Trumper (James Fox) and the
calm Russian challenger Anatoly Sergievsky (Daniel Koek). Fox incidentally represented the UK in the 2004
Eurovision Song Contest with Hold On To Our Love, which had the
novelty for a Eurovision song of being half decent. He manages to
produce a good mix of nastiness and sadness in Trumper while Australian
Koek, who has a tremendous voice, makes you believe in the Russian who
is torn between family, freedom, country and chess. Into the mix are thrown the seconds, comrade Alexander
Molokov (Steve Varnom) and Florence Vassey (Shona White) with Florence
providing support and romance for, eventually, both contenders. She also
provides a truly stunning voice.
Poppy Tierney complements her well in duets as
Anatoly's wife Svetlana, while overseeing it all is the arbiter, played
with style by American David Erik.
The score, by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, half
of ABBA, is exceptional and despite the subject matter being more than
30 years old Craig Revel Horwood, the director and choreographer, has
made the show appear new and fresh. With the 26 strong cast wandering about the stage with
their instruments it would have been easy to make it look like the Royal
Philharmonic trying to get on the Tube in rush hour but there is a
structure there as the chess pieces provide the backdrop for the action. The set is a multi-media delight and it is a pity it
ran into a technical hitch on the opening night with part of the video
display malfunctioning in the second half but that hardly detracted from
what was a great show. The set design, incidentally was by Christopher Woods
who also was responsible for the costumes which were all black or white
with any colour coming from the ever changing hues of the set with its
video wall and 70's disco style flashing panels. Chess is a much under-rated musical but this fine production should find many new fans.To 16-10-10 Roger Clarke And with a closing gambit . . . ***** WITH the ongoing
popularity around the world of
Mamma Mia, it is perhaps easy to forget
that well before this show, came another offering from the hit
making partnership, Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Chess opened at The Prince Edward theatre, London in 1986 – a potentially glorious mixture of Tim Rice's lyrics and Benny and Bjorn's music. Certain songs from the show were already well known
- the duet I Know Him So Well reaching the number one spot for
Elaine Page and Barbara Dixon. Pre- releasing a cast album
prior to opening the show was a strategy used by Tim
Rice before on Evita as a way of building up anticipation
and, lets not deny it, ticket pre-sales.. Mr Rice, it seems, has
a sharp business brain, as well as a distinct way with words! The story centres on the World Chess
Championship between the American, Freddie Trumper and the Russian,
Anatoly Sergievsky. At a time when the US A
and the USSR were locking their capitalist / communist horns in
the midst of the cold war, the game of chess depicted here
is clearly a metaphor for the strategic movements being played out by
these two superpowers. All sounds rather solemn for a musical but,
it's far from that! As in most good stories, love and tangled
relationships are key themes. They emerge here against the
political posturing and tear genuinely at heart strings. This touring production, directed and choreographed by
Craig Revel Horwood, is a ‘must see'. Revel Horwood is of course best
known for his Mr. Nasty personna on BBC's Strictly Come
Dancing. To judge him only for that does him a massive
injustice. He creates a magical picture here,
blending spectacular staging with a cast that carry the often
complex numbers with pin point precision. This is one
of those rare times when every single aspect marries beautifully
to create a piece of theatre from which you just can't take your
eyes. Lighting is faultless. Video sections are innovative. Sound
is perfectly balanced. Costumes bedazzle and performances are
razor sharp. Quite simply, there is no weak link . . . and it
shows. There are stand out performances here but the show's
strength lies just as much in the ensemble work. Musical
Supervisor and Orchestrator, Sarah Travis flies in the face of
theatrical convention and puts the orchestra onstage, rather than in the
pit. We are not talking a few tambourines and the odd flute here
either. This is a full orchestra of Actor/Musicians playing and
singing a complex score whilst being an integral part of the
action. Multi-ttasking was never so aptly demonstrated. James Fox as the American Chess Master, Freddie
Trumper, is a powerhouse performer. He produces one of the show's stand
out moments with his rendition of Pity The Child - a song that
has something of a reputation in the musical theatre world as being
notoriously tricky to get right. Not many manage it – Fox does in
spades.
Shona White is outstanding as Florence Vassy.
Her voice switches beautifully from belting rock chic on Nobody's
Side to emotional siren on I know him So Well.
Pitch perfect and pulsating throughout. Strong performances, too, from Daniel Koek as the
Russian contender, Anatoly Sergievsky and Poppy Tierney as his
wife, Svetlana. David Erik borders on pantomome baddie but
broods menacingly as the referee, The Arbiter. And then, of course, comes the score. Song after song
of sumptuous melodies, clever counter harmonies and styles ranging from
riff driven rock, to Gilbert and Sullivan style sections of pure
operetta. Shades of ABBA are certainly evident but why
change a formula so easy on the ear? In the interest of balance, I should find fault.
Very well., I will. Part of a projected sign in one of the scenes was
not working. I have no doubt it will be for the rest of the run
and in such a technical show this was minor mishap. This show is a gem. Do whatever you can to get hold of
a ticket.
Tom Roberts
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