Chess

Thank you for inviting me to your production of Chess. I am so glad that after a 2-year delay due to the pandemic that you have finally been able to bring it to the stage. 

The show, written by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson, with Lyrics by Tim Rice, has a beautiful score with many melodic moments, challenging lyric lines and multiple harmonies which can be incredibly difficult to master but the company rose to the challenge and presented a show in which every member of the cast was totally focused with the principals and ensemble working very well together. The mood was established right from the start with a symbolic chess game set on a black and white chess board in the centre of the stage and the use of projections throughout supported the narrative.

The principals’ vocals were excellent and they gave very accomplished performances. The ensemble worked extremely well together with the difficult score, and the overall sound was superb. The balance of voices was superb, with all the different tones blending very well indeed. The sixteen-piece orchestra was excellent and hugely enhanced the performance.

The production team successfully brought their vision to the stage working with the cast to deliver a show with excellent singing, strong harmonies, and choreography which brought colour and movement to the performance. The stylised movement in the prologue was a highlight and very effective and was contrasted with the superbly colourful dance in “Merano”. The chess board set centre stage was very effective and the addition of chess board animation and overhead video was extremely effective to show the chess game in action. All in all a very enjoyable performance.

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