[The Duchess of Mint]

Dear Chess Fans,

If you have any disaster/ mistake/ prank stories which relate to your production of Chess, feel free to share those stories here.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Jekkienumber24601]

Well people have been passing my cellphone around and changing the wallpaper and banner on it. But in the actual show, nothing yet.

[AudreyTD]

Someone left "Walter's" mic on after "Nobody's Side" and during the "Mountain Duet" we heard him ...very consdierately...say "shhh - this is the quiet bit!!"

Oh yes - and someone let the snow machine off at the wrong time so it looked like Freddie stormed out into an avalanche...those poor dancers...covered in the stuff!

[navada]

Our Pop Choir (the Arbiter's offsiders/enforcers) wore terrible 1980s pleated skirts that made them all look like extras from a middle-aged cheerleader convention. One of the girls, who is quite solidly built (as am I), was terrified she would accidentally walk out on stage one night with some of the pleats tucked in between her butt cheeks.

It gave us plenty of ammunition for a little entertainment on stage during those moments when the chorus stood around for several minutes as set dressing and you needed to concentrate on something to avoid fidgeting and unintentionally upstaging someone. One only needed to look a little concerned and utter the word "pleats" sotto voce out of the corner of one's mouth to induce instant panic and get a great reaction.

Fortunately the girl concerned is a colleague of mine and she still talks to me!

[Cadriel]

In Baltimore (modified Broadway script), on the evening that the show was being recorded for cast & crew videos, our Molokov missed his cue completely for the scene leading up to "Terrace Duet." It was awkward, but the actors playing Florence and Anatoly worked around the fact that Molokov wasn't there pretty well. Anatoly's "Where is he?" was said to an empty stage, making the whole thing kind of funny. Aaron (who was playing Molokov) finally remembered his cue, walked by to a visibly irate Anatoly and slightly puzzled Florence, and walked back off; they were past his cue to exit already. It was funny if you knew the script, but they played it well, and I appreciated the effort.

[Cadriel]

And as for pranks - we had about 4 or 5 letters or mystery envelopes throughout the course of the show. As the run went on, the likelihood of these envelopes discreetly containing porn became higher. I'm sure there was more going on, but as dramaturg and living two hours away, I didn't get to be down for more than four perfs.