[BlueDevilSF]

Details here:

http://www.aboutmmt.org/about/history/chess/

[bugaboo_4]

I saw the show in Minneapolis on October 28th.

The reviews in the local papers have not been flattering (www.citypages.com), and they're absolutely correct with their assertions. However, they do miss an
important point.

This production is its own version. It's a hybrid of
the Broadway, London, Sydney and U.S. Tour scripts. The first act is
quite good but the second act flounders. I think this stems from the
fact that the entire subplot with Florence's father is discarded and way
too many of the hackneyed ideas from the U.S. Tour script are utilized
including the appalling idea of ending with "Someone Else's Story." This
version is also set in the early 90's with an extremely absurd line
referencing the first George Bush. The only way I believe Chess works
now is if it's set in the early to mid-80's. Why on earth would you set
it after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Setting it later than that just
makes the politics look out-dated and laughable. The production is
definitely worth a look if only for the wonderful performances and most
of the best Chess tunes are kept in.

Kyle

[BlueDevilSF]

Wow...I missed the review in City Pages. I did see the show last night, and here is my review, as written in an e-mail to a friend of mine here in the Twin Cities who has never seen a production but had to miss it here:

Well, I saw the local production of "Chess" last night.

Keep in mind that when it comes to critiquing theatre, I'm not a theatre person.

Put simply: It was not a good production. Many of the actors, especially the ones playing Anatoly and Freddie, simply were not up for the challenge of singing the material. This isn't to say they were horrible, though. Anyone who can do a halfway decent job of it is better than I am. It's just that their limitations were very noticeable and jarring. I thought the Freddie actor did the best overall job between the two, even if his performance was just a bit too over the top.

I gathered the music was recorded in advance. Very simple, with keyboards, some woodwinds, and a guitar. The tempo was a bit on the fast side. I guess it was necessary so that the actors wouldn't have to sustain notes so long, or who knows. It felt like a time-compressed movie.

I've lost track of the many permutations of this show that I can't really list all the differences and changes because I don't know what's what. I can say that the whole subplot about the possibility of a reunion between Florence and her father was scrapped entirely in favor of making this whole thing about Walter's ambition to break into the Russian chess market.

I found myself often confused as to what was going on and the passage of time. There is nothing in the program to tell the audience where and when different scenes are taking place, so it all seems like a big mish-mash.

So...the best production I've seen remains the one I saw in San Francisco in 2001. I wouldn't discourage you from seeing it here -- you may have a totally different opinion and one that comes from a theatre performer's point of view -- but if you don't get to see it, I wouldn't be too heartbroken about it.

[Cadriel]

[BlueDevilSF]

I recycled my program, but your assessment is correct. The dearth of songs in the second act was really noticeable in the program's list.

Here is the review that Kyle references:

http://www.citypages.com/databank/27/1352/article14847.asp

This makes the third production of Chess that I've seen and ranks at the bottom. My favorite thus far remains the San Francisco production of '01.

[bugaboo_4]

Sorry it took me so long to revisit this thread. After re-reading the U.S. Tour script, this production definitely used it as its main source with some slight modifications from pretty much every other version. I really did enjoy this production of the show. As I said before, the first act seemed almost brilliant. It flowed wonderfully, and I actually didn't mind the rewritten Robert Coe dialogue. The actors made it work. I found it hard to sit through the second act, though, because I felt the book was just awful. The whole subplot with Florence's father cut? That's one of my favorite things about the show! The complete songlist as used in this production is below. Not all of these songs were listed in the program, but they were used in the show.

ACT ONE

"The Story of Chess" - Arbiter and Company
"What a Scene" - Freddie
"The Russian and Molokov" - Molokov, Nikolai, Anatoly (Yes, Nikolai gets his own verse)
"Where I Want to Be" - Anatoly
"Chess Hymn" - Company
"Arbiter's Song" - Arbiter and Company
"U.S. vs. U.S.S.R" - Molokov, Walter, Company
"Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)" - Molokov, Florence, Arbiter, Anatoly
"Chess Hymn" (reprise) - Company
"You Want to Lose Your Only Friend?" (With Sydney's idea of using "How Many Women" in the middle) - Florence and Freddie
"Nobody's Side" - Florence and Female Ensemble
"Terrace Duet" - Florence and Anatoly
"Who'd Ever Think It?" - Freddie
"No Contest" - Walter, Freddie, Anatoly (mischmasch of Broadway and Sydney)
"Florence Quits" - Freddie and Florence (the edited version as in the original U.S. Tour script)
"Pity the Child" - Freddie
"Heaven Help My Heart" - Florence
"Reporters" - Reporters
"Anthem" - Anatoly

ACT TWO
"One Night in Bangkok" - Freddie and Company
"You and I" - Florence, Anatoly, Svetlana
"Where I Want to Be/You and I" (reprises) - Anatoly, Freddie, Florence
"Silly Boy" - Freddie and Florence
"Pity the Child" (reprise) - Florence
"What a Scene" (reprise) - Freddie (This is really "Freddie Goes Metal" but wasn't listed that way in the program.)
"Let's Work Together" - Molokov and Walter
"The Story of Chess" (reprise) - Arbiter, Walter, Ben
"I Know Him So Well" - Florence and Svetlana
"Endgame" - Anatoly, Freddie and Company
"You and I" (reprise) - Anatoly and Florence
"Walter and Florence" - Walter and Florence
"Someone Else's Story" - Florence

There were some interesting ideas utilized in the revisioning of Coe's script. A lot of Coe's dialogue was trimmed and streamlined which helped considerably. Some of Nelson's dialogue even cropped up every so often.

I thought "U.S. vs. U.S.S.R." worked wonderfully in its placement as happening during Anatoly and Freddie's first game. It advanced the plot as well as giving a perfect feel of tension to the scene. And you could tell the exact moment when Freddie decided that Anatoly was cheating on the last line of the song - "as long as our man wins!" Right after that he went off into his tantrum.

It was a pleasure to hear "Chess Hymn" for the first time in an amateur production. I liked how the chorus was very much a presence instead of just kind of being in the background.

The staging of "Nobody's Side" was also interesting. In the middle of the song the female ensemble brought on a sheet of cloth and Florence changed behind it during the number! On her line "And how the cracks begin to show" the cloth was dropped away and she was dressed in a lovely red cocktail dress. How convenient, since she'd be kissing the Russian in the next scene. lol. The whole concept worked beautifully on stage, though.

The second act had an interesting interpolation from Sydney. Following the scene in the U.S. Tour script in which Freddie agrees to try for a break in play for Florence and Anatoly, this version had Freddie start singing "Silly Boy" from the Sydney script. Afterwards he and Florence exchange the same dialogue as in the Sydney script for this scene, but instead of Freddie breaking into "Pity the Child" Florence sings a slightly rewritten version of her reprise which goes like this:

When I was young
I learned that memories
shouldn't be built to last.
Luxuries such as Mother, Father
Jettisoned in the past
How can a half-remembered lovelife
From a past so remote that it's hardly real
Alter the way I feel?
Pity the child who 35 years on
Finds her confidence gone!

It didn't really work for me, but it was a noble effort to add two excellent elements from other versions into the fray.

At the end of this version it was very clear that Florence chose herself over both Freddie and Anatoly. She had clearly grown stronger throughout the show and felt that it'd be best for her to go on alone. I like a strong Florence, but I don't really like this idea. It seems kind of a let-down, since the whole show is built around an "impossible romance."

Anyways, this response was much longer than I meant it to be! If anyone has any further questions about this production I'd be happy to respond. It was exciting to see a theatre company try to tackle a show like "Chess" that has such an unwieldy book. I thought it was a noteworthy attempt that unfortunately just didn't work.