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[BJR]

Posted: 11/19/22 at 7:30am

Yes, this is the Danny Strong book because that version has been circling coming in since the Kennedy Center run directed by Michael Mayer.

I heard rumors they were likely coming in this season or next. So, it would seem this concert is to generate some excitement and try out this new cast.

[Penna2]

Posted: 11/19/22 at 5:05pm

BJR said: "Yes, this is the Danny Strong book because that version has been circling coming in since the Kennedy Center run directed by Michael Mayer.

I heard rumors they were likely coming in this season or next. So, it would seem this concert is to generate some excitement and try out this new cast."

Ramin is perfect as Anatoly - did it at Lincoln Center with Mayer directing. Also did a production in Japan. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/19/22 at 5:21pm

I’m not really interested in another new book for Chess. The original London version just needs a trim. The recent concert version at Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Samantha Barks did just that and it worked very well for me. If Chess ever does return to Broadway I’d like to see something like that rather than another new book which was clearly a mistake the first time the show played Broadway.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 11/20/22 at 2:15pm

In fairness to him, the version that Danny Strong's book (previously seen at Kennedy Center) most closely resembles is London. That's not to say the comparison is 1:1, of course, but it's closer to that version than any other. I have my qualms with some of his choices, such as placing so much emphasis on the political side of things (at least in terms of trying to ground the story in a very specific timeframe), but it works as well as any book for Chess -- including London -- ever has.

(Of course, no one's read my edit yet...)

Updated On: 11/20/22 at 02:15 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 11/20/22 at 3:10pm

Owen22 said: "That Danny Strong book is so convoluted! Trying to reimagine Anatoly and Freddy's match somehow impacting the Salt II talks? When will people realize that the best version of Chess, though not perfect, was and will always be the original Broadway version?"

I suspect never, as that production was a flop.

Doesn't mean you aren't right--you obviously saw it, and most people didn't. But the show folded after only 68 performances, the reviews were pretty bad and the cast recording has the worst "One Night in Bangkok" ever. And is long out of print, anyway. Thus with no access to the recording which might change some people's minds, and the word of mouth on that production pretty awful, most people are not going to come around to your position.

Updated On: 11/26/22 at 03:10 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/23/22 at 10:08pm

This is almost completely sold out.

[Lot666]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 12:49pm

ACL2006 said: "Wonder if this could finally be the sneak peak at a potential Broadway revival?"

I hope so, especially if Mr. Karimloo were to move forward with the production. I'd love to see this one-night event, but it's not in the cards for me.

 

[supersam1026]

Posted: 11/29/22 at 12:04am

Any more info on the cast here? Just 2 weeks away!

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/30/22 at 1:44am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Bradley-Dean-Sean-Allen-Krill-Bryce-Pinkham-and-More-Join-CHESS-Benefit-Concert-Full-Cast-Announced-20221129

[Lot666]

Posted: 11/30/22 at 8:40am

Bradley Dean!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 10:16am

Shop BroadwayWorld's limited edition exclusive Chess in Concert pre-sale! This long-sleeve tee commemorates the concert of the legendary musical, Chess, on December 12th, 2022. This ash-grey shirt is unisex and cotton-polyester blend featuring the show's iconic keyart and concert details. A portion of proceeds will be donated to The Entertainment Community Fund. This is a PRE-SALE item and will ship by December 21st.

Buy Now»

[OhBoy17]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 12:53pm

Is this merch approved by the authors and the Entertainment Community Fund? Seems a little unethical to try to make money off of someone else's benefit concert - especially when the merch doesn't seem to name the beneficiary at all.

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 12:57pm

 

Updated On: 12/9/22 at 12:57 PM

[Moderator]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 12:59pm

OhBoy17 said: "Is this merch approved by the authors and the Entertainment Community Fund? Seems a little unethical to try to make money off of someone else's benefit concert - especially when the merch doesn't seem to name the beneficiary at all."

Great question OhBoy17 - yes this is the official approved merch and was designed by and is being sold directly by the production/The Entertainment Community Fund. We are hosting the official pre-sale for which our proceeds go directly to the fund, since the production doesn't have its own merch store. It will also be on sale at the concert, but this is for those who wish to show their support and get a souvenir of the event and won't be able to purchase the limited inventory at the show. Hope that clarifies!

Updated On: 12/9/22 at 12:59 PM

[seussical93]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:19am

who’s excited?!?!?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:24am

Will the sweater come with the elongated squares at the top? That’s not the official artwork and not what a chess board looks like. Seems to be a mistake.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 9:00pm

Intermission now. Lena Hall stopped the show cold with “Nobody’s Side”! 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 9:04pm

Lena Hall is 100% the highlight of this. I know this book's been done before but wow, it certainly is...a choice. I don't hate it completely but there are quite a few cringey lines 

[Anshel2]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 10:51pm

Hated the book changes.  Way too much Bryce.  Shouldve ended with a reprise of Anthem as he watches Florence walk away with her real father (this time).  The comedy?  Current political jokes?  Criss couldn’t sing it, although his Pity The Child was terrific.  And the buzzing red alert noises during Ramin’s money notes in the final song.  Disappointing.

Updated On: 12/12/22 at 10:51 PM

[akhoya87]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:09pm

I've never seen a production of this, so I can't compare the quality of the book.  I agree that some of the jokes were unnecessary, esp. the ones that tried to make more contemporary references.  

My goodness, Lena Hall blew me away.  Her Nobody's Side got a standing ovation.  I also saw her tear up listening to the choral intro of Endgame.  

Ramin got a standing ovation for Anthem at the end of Act I.  I felt like Solea deserved one for her first song (sorry, I don't know titles), but I think it was too early in Act II to justify it.

Agreed that Darren Criss was not a good fit for Freddie Trumper.  

The burlesque show for Bangkok was an interesting choice.  Unexpected for the concert format, given that the rest of the show was done in just normal black and gray attire.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:15pm

JoeW4 said: "Intermission now. Lena Hall stopped the show cold with “Nobody’s Side”!"

Oh god! I hate to say this, but I hope someone recorded an audio of this! Lena Hall has an AMAZING voice and I hope she plays Florence if they do a full scale revival of the show! 

[kwoc91]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:20pm

Loved it! I thought the new book was fun and funny…sue me. Was great to see lots of Bryce Pinkham considering he gets almost nothing interesting to do in Ohio State Murders.

Criss was definitely the weak link (as most predicted he would be) but I did think he pulled off Pity the Child. It’s clear that’s where most of his rehearsing went. 

I was very tired today and considered selling my ticket but I’m glad I held onto it and went. A memorable experience for sure!

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:20pm

This being the first time I'd ever seen a staging of the show, I wasn't sure what to make of the un-seriousness of a lot of it, sometimes bordering on camp, but I thought it made for an entertaining evening, and the music was as glorious as ever. 

For me, two vocal highlights were Solea's "Someone Else's Story," and Bradley Dean's "The Soviet Machine." 

Updated On: 12/12/22 at 11:20 PM

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 11:48pm

Lena Hall has definitely gained some new fans if there were people in the audience that didn't know her before.  I think Bryce Pinkham, Bradley Dean, and Solea Pfeiffer also did quite well, though while I LOVE her, I thought her Someone Else's Story was almost too overwrought.  She had some great acting beats in there and she's obviously a fantastic singer, but she had some vocal pyrotechnics that I thought detracted from the song itself.  Lena Hall also brought a bit of an edgier side to Florence, much more of a rocker voice, especially on Nobody's Side and also snippets like the Press Conference.  I think Bryce Pinkham did about as well as he could've straddling the line between tongue in cheek and bawdy, though the book walks that line much less effectively.

I think the book tried to tie the show more into the political tensions at the time, but in doing so made it way way too overstuffed.  I thought starting with Dangerous and Difficult Times was a smart way to create the setting, but I wasn't a fan of them referencing real life events so directly, with SALT II and Able Archer 83 being specific plot points (I liked it better when it was more of a looming threat of the Cold War), and it felt more like they were trying to give a history lesson through the chess games. There was a ton of time spent on de Coursey and Molokov just plotting together, which just felt like it stalled the show.

There was a lot of direct address to the audience, and I thought it worked okay in the beginning, especially in this concert format, but really just got to be too much (there was also just a lot of "look at us, we're putting on a Cold War musical!" that was unnecessary).  I've thought for a while now that it would be interesting to see a version of the book center either Florence or the Arbiter as the main character, so I got excited when Bryce Pinkham started narrating, but it was clear they kept the Arbiter and the narrator as two separate characters.  He literally says something to the effect of "now I get to be a character instead of just the narrator".  They also cut out the beginning of The Deal/No Deal, which I thought was the most interesting part of the Arbiter's character, and Embassy Lament was also cut, which I did miss a little, but the first act was getting to be pretty long anyway.

I liked the idea of Florence and Anatoly having a prior encounter, but it was treated like a soap opera, very cliche and melodramatic, and already seemed to show their hand for running off together.  It also really messed with the way Quartet and Mountain Duet were set up (both of them have lyrics that kind of rely on Florence and Anatoly not knowing each other too well, and also Molokov is the one that sets up the meeting, but the line about Florence asking him to come remains in the song).  Also, all the asides the Freddie and Anatoly had during the Chess instrumental were just laughable.  I applaud the attempt at giving them a bit more character, but they could've just written "suicidal" across Anatoly's forehead and been done with it.

I also despised the changed ending, with Florence's father showing up (btw, was he famous or something?  I didn't recognize him but people started cheering when he walked out).  To me, a core part of the show is how all these external forces are trying to manipulate the people taking part in the chess tournament for their own political gain, without any care of how many lives were destroyed in the process.  To have Florence actually reunited with her father seems a concession to a happy ending, even if Florence and Anatoly don't end up together. 

Though I think having a mediocre book really made the songs shine.  It felt like they were stuck between more of a staged production where they actually tell the story (and also figure out what story they wanted to tell) and just singing the songs.  Like someone else mentioned, the sudden choreographed strip/dance that happened in One Night in Bangkok was a little jarring since no other numbers had any choreography (except maybe some synchronized swaying from the ensemble).  Talking Chess was also reduced to a dialogue only scene; it's a small song but I actually do enjoy it so I missed having that as well.

All quibbles with the book aside though, this was still a fantastic performance and if it does come to Broadway with this cast (or at least Lena Hall), I wouldn't hesitate to see it again.  Though, watching Lena Hall and Solea Pfeiffer skip off together after bows, I would pay to see them do the entire thing as a two-woman show, in case the Broadway transfer doesn't end up working out.

[akhoya87]

Posted: 12/13/22 at 12:04am

chrishuyen said: "Though, watching Lena Hall and Solea Pfeiffer skip off together after bows, I would pay to see them do the entire thing as a two-woman show, in case the Broadway transfer doesn't end up working out."

I thought to myself, "the two of them should just forget Anatoly and go off into the sunset together."