I've seen ALOT of shows on Broadway, Touring, Community Theatre, High School, West End, and other quality, but this production is BY FAR the best I have ever seen. I'm voting for a cast recording (even though it won't happen).
I drove down from Philly with a small group of friends to see this show last night. It really is a tremendous production! My only experience with Chess prior to seeing this incarnation was a bootleg copy of the Actor's Fund concert. One of my friends had the fortune of seeing the original Broadway production and the Papermill production several years ago. He said that this is easily the best production that he's ever seen. My biggest complaint about the show is the book, which is a hot mess. But according to my friend Signature's production was streamlined and significantly easier to follow then previous incarnations. I thought the cast was remarkable, especially the three leads. The ensemble sounded out of this world and the orchestra sounds so full in that small theatre. If your on the fence about seeing this production, I say get your tickets now before it sells out. And trust me, this one will definitely sell out. There were only a few seats available in the dress circle last night.
I'm looking forward to seeing it Labor Day weekend. I love the score- have all the English recordings- and I can't wait to see Jill Paice sing again on Signature's stage and Eleasha Gamble who is good in everything she does in DC.
"Why do you care what people might say? Why try to fit into their design?" (Side Show)
"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES---
"THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS
Would someone mind posting the song listing? I'm curious to see which songs they're using. Thanks in advance!
I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens. - JFK
I'm not actually in the show. Haha! My ex drama teacher's friend is Anatoly (Euan Morton), so I HAD to see the show of course. Here's the song list for whoever wanted it:
Prologue (Budapest, 1956) Lullaby (Apukad eros Kezen) Act I (Bangkok, 1986) Freddie's Entrance (pretty much "What A Scene") Russian/Molokov Where I Want to Be Argument/How Many Women Arbiter's Song (they used the 2003 Swedish accompaniement for this prod.) A Model of Decorum and Tranquility You Wanna Lose Your Only Friend? Nobody's On Nobody's Side One Night in Bangkok Terrace Duet Who'd Ever Think It So You Got What You Want Someone Else's Story Anthem
Act II (Budapest, 8 Months Later) Budapest Heaven Help My Heart Winning (i THINK it's the same as "No Contest") You and I (FABULOUS!) A Whole New Board Game Let's Work Together I Know Him So Well Pity the Child Endgame You and I
Are you judging her from the promo clip or have you seen her in Chess? If you're judging her from the clip, then you're right, but ONLY because she's been sick this entire week, and that's when they shot the clip. But she's gotten her health back since then. :)
I was judging it by the clip since I haven't had a chance to see it.
And it wasn't a snarky question, GetUp&LiveIt. She doesn't sound good in the clip, and if it's because she was sick at the time, then so be it. I just wanted to know if other people were judging solely based off of the clip or if they had seen her in person. Feel free to speak for everybody else though.
Ok.........well, for those of you who DO like this production and the show itself, how about we make a petition to send this to Broadway? I think the Broadway communtiy would LOVE to see an actual production of Chess that works. Haha!
Signature sells whatever seats aren't sold as rush so you can't predict where they will be. They're not set aside so if all tickets are sold, you're out of luck.
That said, the spaces are so intimate there really is no bad seat.
"Why do you care what people might say? Why try to fit into their design?" (Side Show)
I'm game for the Broadway petition...I will sign it!
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
I love the look of the set design, seems to work really well with this show. I'm directing it at the moment and have avoided using videos to depict the scenes and opted for a minimalist, Brechtian approach. My only issue with the clip/production is the casting of Anatoly and Freddie. Anatoly looks younger, and is better looking than Freddie. I have never seen that approach before and don't see how it will work, when Freddie is the young egotistical protege, and Anatoly the more reserved and experienced professional.
I wish more than anything that the Michael Bennet production would have seen the light of day.
For those of you directing it, the problem with "Chess" is NOT the production, it's the show itself. "Chess" has no progagonist. Is it Anatoly? No. Is it the American? No. In my mind, the progagonist is Florence, but that's not the way the show was written, and therein lies the rub.
As far as staging it is concerned? Michael Bennet had the best idea, he wanted it to be about her. He made a huge Chess board which caust a million dollars, and then he died. The Broadway production was incoherent, although they did add the second best song, "Someone Else's Story."
I love this show, and I think there is somebody out there who can make it work. I suspect it's not going to be the Signature production, it's going to be some kid out there who gets it, and is a new Michael Bennet, with his or her own ideas, who makes the show work.