Chess

This was a new departure staging-wise and in concept for Hitchin Thespians, in that they did part concert and part performance, with the seating set out lengthwise.  It worked in some respects, but I felt the splitting of the choir to either side of the stage meant that the sound balance wasn’t good for the audience overall.  We were sat on stage left, with the sopranos and tenors on our side, so we heard them prominently but did not hear the altos and basses as well, and I would imagine the opposite was the same for people on the other side of the audience.

The setting was fine for the concept, and the chorus in blacks looked good, however for continuity of feel and good looks, I would have liked to have seen the principals in black or white, as their costumes were a little diverse, and some didn’t always look as smart as they could have done, probably their own clothes that don’t always come across as well on stage.

I felt the performance started a little tentatively from the chorus, probably because of the difficult timing of the first number, and sound problems with some mics throughout marred the principal performances, although I cannot praise them enough for carrying on as if nothing had happened.  As the production moved on the chorus gained momentum and there were some good sounds.  However, I would have liked the chorus to show more animation in their faces, I know Chess is a hard sing, but a little expression as they were very much on show, would have enhanced the action.

Lighting was effective, although there were some occasions where the cast were unlit or out of spot, which spoiled the effects.

The principals were all good, although I felt they didn’t really have a chance to explore their characters as much in this concept as they would have done in a full production, which I felt needed a bit more energy even from the chorus, as they were rather buried in their books, and did not give out to the audience as much as they could have done, which would have also lifted the production.

Musically the production was good, the timing is very difficult, and mostly everyone got it right – I could see the cast keeping a good eye on the MD, which was very evident because she was above the audience, usually the MD is on the same level or lower than the cast, so it is not so apparent.  The band worked well, and sounded good, getting all the nuances of the music that would normally be associated with a larger band.

I particularly liked Gina Abbatt who played Florence, she has such an expressive face and lovely voice, which showed the wonderful music off well, a consummate performer.  Florence’s duet with Anatoly – ‘You and I’ – was beautiful, I got completely lost in the music and meaning, and there were tender moments between the pair.

Kier Home played Anatoly, he has a lovely tone to his voice, and reached the high notes effortlessly.  ‘Anthem’ was heartfelt and tuneful.  Kier also has an expressive face that worked well for the character.

There was one place at the beginning where Anatoly was speaking and facing stage left, which I felt was a shame as audience on stage right couldn’t see his face, and there was lots of expression going on there – that is one of the downsides to performing lengthwise, in that the cast need to perform almost as if in the round, to allow all the audience to see them.

Wesley Hughes gave us a nicely sung Freddie Trumper, ‘Pity the Child’ gave him the opportunity to really bring the character to life.  I felt I needed a little more of the unpleasant side of the man, to contrast with the other characters.

I liked Mike Barker’s portrayal of Molokov – a nice part to play, and he conveyed the very dour Russian side of the man in both lib and song, which was a good added dimension to the production.

Barbara Thomas did a good job of keeping the proceedings in order as The Arbiter, again lots of expression going on, and she got the sternness of the one in charge!

Philippa Bayfield played Svetlana, Anatoly’s wife, in a very charming understated way, which contrasted well with Florence’s more dynamic character.  They came together well for ‘I Know Him so Well’, which was another highlight of the show for me.

Walter was played by Jonathan Fletcher, and whilst it’s not a huge part, he did well with it, but I needed a bit more of the man’s manipulative nature to come out.

The dance number in ‘Merano’ was very lively, and the dancers looked comfortable with it, however I wasn’t convinced by the dance for ‘One Night in Bangkok’, it didn’t look very Thai-inspired, and the dancers didn’t look as if they enjoyed doing it.

So on the whole a good concept, which worked well and which with a few tweaks could be used for future productions – maybe if the chorus was slanted inwards the sound would have melded better, and given the audience a better overall sound.

My sincere thanks to Belinda Gee and Hitchin Thespians for their hospitality, which was very much appreciated by my husband and myself.

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