The Story of Chess

This news has made me a very happy person indeed.

Chess has got to be one of my favourite musicals, although I only discovered it last year, it's wonderful score (courtesy of Abba frontmen) and lyrics (courtesy of Tim Rice) pulling you through a romantic and political tale, set during the Cold War.

Through all it's incarnations (more on that below) the basic plot summary is roughly as follows: Florence Vassy is the chess second of the American player Frederick Trumper. She was born in Hungary but fled in 1956, during the Budapest uprising which is believed to have left both her parents dead. Trumper's match is surrounded in politics as his opponent is the Russian player Anaotly Sergievsky, who is seconded by the KGB agent Alexander Molokov. Florence and Anatoly soon fall in love, with Anatoly defecting in order to be with her-despite the fact that he is married (in some versions he also has children). What then follows is the Russians desperate attempt to get him to return, using his wife (Svetlana), Florence and sometimes Freddie as tools to win him back.

Chess has also got one of the most fascinating behind-the-scenes story of a recent musical. It opened in the West End in 1986, and originally was due to be directed by Michael Bennett (of A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls fame) however, he passed away due to AIDS before he could finish the job and so Trevor Nunn (who would soon direct Les Miserables) was called in to finish the job. It starred Elaine Paige, Tommy Korberg and Murray Head, and ran for three years.

Upon its move to Broadway in 1988, Trevor Nunn and the rest of the team decided that Chess needed a complete re-imagining, and Richard Nelson (a playwright) was bought in to create a 'book musical'. Elaine Paige was also ruled out of the transfer, by Nelson writing Florence Vassy as an American-Hungarian as opposed to an English-Hungarian, she was replaced by Judy Kuhn, who came straight from performing in the original Broadway cast of Les Mis as Cosette. This production also starred David Carroll and Philip Casnoff. On Broadway, the show folded after only 68 performances, with Carroll being the driving force between it receiving a cast recording.

In 1990, the musical was changed again when it began its US tour. Nelson's book was revised by Robert Coe. It substantially altered the plots of both the previous versions; Florence seems more ridden with guilt than usual when Freddie catches her with Anatoly, Anatoly seems to defect to stop Florence leaving after she breaks up with Freddie, Svetlana and Anatoly's relationship seems more solid than in previous versions and the motivation of Anatoly losing/winning the final chess match in order to enable Florence to be reunited with her 'father' is totally cut out. It toured for five months, starring Carolee Carmello, John Herrera and Stephen Bogardus.

The same year, a Broadway-based version opened in Chicago directed by David H Bell, the production remained true to the basic Broadway plot, but made the songs fit more snuggly, had the scenes between the Americans and Russians move easily and, in reflection of the now defunct USSR, ends with Florence truely being reunited with her father, having lost Anatoly. It played for nearly five months, and starred Susie McMongal, David Studwell and Kim Strauss-who would reprise his role in other Bell-directed productions, including one opposite Jodi Benson-the voice of The Little Mermaid-as Florence.

In 1991, Tim Rice handed his version of a 'book musical' Chess to director Jim Sherman in Australia. This production had Florence's orphan-hood date from 1968 in Czechslovakia, as the cast were generally younger. It took place in one tournament in Bangkok (Most versions flick between either Merano/Bangkok or Bangkok/Budapest). Svetlana is featured throughout, as opposed to only appearing in Act Two as with prior versions. Again, her realtionship with Anatoly seems stronger than the weakened marriage you would expect having looked at other versions. It ran for 5 months and starred Jodie Gillies, Robbie Krupski and David McLeod.

In 2002, Bjorn and Benny revisited Chess, in a Swedish language version of Chess. Chess pa Svenska starred Helen Sjoholm, Tommy Korberg (reprising his role almost 20 years on) and Anders Ekborg. It featured new numbers, and was set wholly in Merano.

However, the 'definitive' version, which I guess is what the new tour will be based on was performed in 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall. Starring Idina Menzel, Josh Groban and Adam Pascal, the synopsis followed the London one for the most part, with some additional lyrics from the Broadway incarnation.
And I am jumping up and down with excitment, the idea of actor-musicians makes me dubious-with the characters essentially being 'played' by others within the musical it would be strange seeing them actually playing an instrument-perhaps the ensemble could perform? Whatever happens, I'll be jumping on tickets if it comes near here.

(Many thanks to Square One, the info booklet that came with the Chess in Concert DVD by Tim Rice and all the wonderful casts that have made their way onto recordings)