Chess

There is a general expectation that NODA representatives will have seen every show many times.  Not so, or at least, not always.  Whilst I knew the story and some of the songs, this was the first production of Chess that I have seen, so a lot of this review is coloured by my reactions to the show itself, rather than to the performance.  Musically and lyrically, the show is brilliant.  The story - of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, manifested through clashes on and around the chess board - is a good one.  So, overall, it works, but to my mind there are a couple of weaknesses.  Firstly the focus is a relatively cerebral activity, and secondly it is almost entirely sung.  The combination leaves the audience (it leaves me) with relatively little emotional engagement with the characters, and therefore very little investment in the outcome.

There are rich textures in the music, both in the orchestration and in the vocal ensembles.  This made good use of the large orchestra under Nigel Finch, but the complexity meant that, particularly in the larger vocal ensembles, some of the lyrics got lost in the overall texture.  This is fine for conveying an  atmosphere, but if the lyrics carry the subtlety of the plot, then some of that nuance gets lost.  That said, I really enjoyed the ensemble singing from the small groups and the full company; there is, for example, a lovely moment when the orchestra drops out leaving the contrasting textures of a large choir.  The Soviet Machine section of Act Two (Russians being gloomy and drinking vodka; no stereotypes here) was a treat, allowing some Slavic bass - Mark Allen, I think - to come through.  Besides Anthem, and I Know Him So Well, I think the audience plaudits would have gone to Embassy Lament for the contrasting humour provided by the four civil servants.

The contrast between the two sides was very well realised; the soviet group led by Molokov (excellently portrayed by Mark Hill), all black-clad control, contrasted with the more chaotic west, exemplified by the reporters chasing after the players and the delegations.  Indeed, Anthem, the closing song of Act One, beautifully sung by Teddy Clements, is Anatoly’s reaction to the reporters who want him to confirm the story that they have written for him, rather than asking him to explain his motives for his defection to the west.

The piece loses momentum during the Act One chess matches and during the song from the Arbiter (Rob McGough) as the stage was set out as a chess board.  (Nothing wrong with the singing, but a structural pause in the show.)  By contrast, the final game, in which the chorus became the pieces, was grippingly effective.

Peter Ward did a great job of making Fredrick Trumper dislikeable.  The American Grand Master is shown as a self-centred, paranoid prima donna, but also a chess obsessive, which leads to his eventual assistance to Anatoly.  It was easy to see why Florence (Natalie Baker) would desert him, and the eventual meeting of Florence with Anatoly’s wife, Svetlana (Daniella Gambier) was poignant and beautifully sung by the two.

I shall finish at the beginning.  The Prologue to the show is a sung and acted legend, The Story of Chess, allowing the director the opportunity for a small in-joke.  When the queen called for wise men, forward stepped Terry O’Farrell and Jonathan Fulcher, the chairmen of Southampton Operatic Society.  I assume the choice was deliberate.

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