Chess (musical)
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Chess is a musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA. The story involves a romantic triangle between two players in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other.
Following the pattern of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, a concept album was recorded and released in 1984, before any stage production was underway. A single from the album, "One Night in Bangkok," sung by Murray Head, was an unlikely top-40 hit, and the duet, "I Know Him So Well," by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson held the number one spot on the UK singles charts for 4 weeks in February 1985.
Chess premiered in London's West End in 1986 and played for three years. A radically-rewritten Broadway version opened in 1988 to poor reviews and closed in just eight weeks. It is occasionally produced by regional theatrical companies, sometimes merging elements from both versions. Chess-Baltimore, a version that opened on March 19, 2004, is based on the Broadway version.
A new version, in Swedish, premiered in Stockholm, Sweden in February 2002 and ran through June 2003.
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The studio album
Principal cast
- Florence - Elaine Paige
- The American - Murray Head
- The Russian - Tommy Körberg
- Molokov - Denis Quilley
- Svetlana - Barbara Dickson
- The Arbiter - Björn Skifs
Songs
- "Merano"
- "The Russian and Molokov" / "Where I Want to Be"
- "Opening Ceremony"
- "Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)"
- "The American and Florence" / "Nobody's Side"
- "Chess"
- "Mountain Duet"
- "Florence Quits"
- "Embassy Lament"
- "Anthem"
- "Bangkok" / "One Night in Bangkok"
- "Heaven Help My Heart"
- "Argument"
- "I Know Him So Well"
- "The Deal (No Deal)"
- "Pity the Child"
- "Endgame"
- "Epilogue: You and I" / "The Story of Chess"
Plot synopsis
Act 1
The world chess championship is being held in the northern Italian town of Merano. The brash American champion relishes the crowd's affection, while his Russian challenger and Molokov, his second (actually a KGB agent), watch with curiosity and disdain on TV. The opening ceremony features an arbiter insisting on holding the proceedings together, US and Soviet diplomats vowing their side will win, and marketers just looking to make a buck. The American storms out of a rules meeting, leaving his second, Florence, in an argument with the Arbiter and the Russians. She later scolds him, but he insists that she, a child emigre who escaped Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, should support him. Instead, she reflects that "nobody's on nobody's side". The first game of the match goes badly, with dirty tricks nearly evolving into a brawl. A meeting to smooth things over goes badly and strands the Russian and Florence together, where they quickly develop feelings for one another. As the matches continue, the American flounders and blames Florence, who leaves him. The Russian wins the championship, then defects to the west. Answering reporters' questions about his loyalties, his "Anthem" declares that "my land's only borders/ lie around my heart."
Act 2
A year later, the Russian is set to defend his championship in Bangkok, Thailand. The American is already there, chatting up locals about the nightlife. Florence and the Russian are now lovers, and worry about the situation. Molokov, meanwhile, has trained a new protege to challenge the Russian. The American interviews the Russian on TV and makes obvious attempts to rattle him, even declaring that the Russian's wife is being allowed to leave the USSR to attend the match. She and Florence both reflect on their relationships with him. The American goes to the Russian with information about Florence's long-lost father, claiming that instead of being a hero as she believed, he was instead a collaborator. The Russian, and later Florence, dismiss him, unwilling to hear what he has to say. He reflects on his life and his obsession with chess as a way to escape an unhappy childhood. In the deciding game of the match, The Russian manages an exceptional victory, and realizes that it may be the only success he can achieve - Svetlana castigates him for wallowing in the crowd's empty praise. Both acknowledge they are doomed to care only for themselves. Later, he and Florence reflect on their story that seemed so promising, and how they "go on pretending/ stories like ours/ have happy endings."
Broadway cast album
Principal cast
- Freddie - Philip Casnoff
- Florence - Judy Kuhn
- Anatoly - David Carroll
- Molokov - Harry Goz
- Walter - Dennis Parlato
- Arbiter - Paul Harman
- Svetlana - Marcia Mitzman
Songs
- Prologue
- The Story of Chess
- Where I Want to Be
- How Many Women
- Chess Hymn
- Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)
- You Want to Lose Your Only Friend?
- Someone Else's Story
- One Night in Bangkok
- Terrace Duet
- Nobody's Side
- Anthem
- Hungarian Folk Song
- Heaven Help My Heart
- No Contest
- You and I
- I Know Him So Well
- Pity the Child
- Lullaby (Apukad eros kezen)
- Endgame
- You and I (reprise)
Plot synopsis
The American version has different settings and a completely different Act 2. In particular, the entire show is about one chess tournament, not two. Act 1 handles the first part of the tournament, which is held in Bangkok, while Act 2 handles the conclusion, and is held in Budapest. The Russian is named Anatoly Sergievsky, while the American is Freddie Trumper. In addition to Florence, Freddie has a business agent named Walter, who constantly tries to enlist Freddie for commercials and endorsements, but Freddie has no interest in making money...only in winning the tournament.
Act 1
The world chess championship is being held in Bangkok. At a press conference, the brash American challenger, Freddie Trumper, relishes the crowd's affection, while the current Russian champion, Anatoly Sergievsky, and Molokov, his second, watch with curiosity and disdain. During the match Freddie accuses Anatoly of receiving outside help via the flavor of yogurt he is eating, and Freddie storms out, leaving his second, Florence, in an argument with the Arbiter and the Russians. She later scolds him, but he insists that she, a child emigre who escaped Hungary during the 1956 uprisings, should support him. A meeting to smooth things over goes badly and strands the Russian and Florence together, where they quickly develop feelings for one another. Freddie was supposed to attend, but got sidetracked by the night life, and arrived very late to see Anatoly and Florence holding hands. When he later accuses her of conspiring against him, she reflects that "nobody's on nobody's side", and decides to leave him. As the matches continue, the American flounders, finishing Act 1 with 1 win and 5 losses...one more loss will cost him the tournament. Anatoly surprises everyone by his defection at the end of Act 1. Answering reporters' questions about his loyalties, his "Anthem" declares that "my only borders/lie around my heart."
Act 2
Eight weeks later, everyone is in Budapest to witness the conclusion of the tournament. Florence is elated to be back in her hometown of Budapest, but dismayed that she remembers none of it, not even what happened to her Father, since he had to leave her in 1956. Molokov offers to help and starts 'investigating' Florence's father's fate. As Anatoly and Florence listen to a local Hungarian choir, he meets three friends from his hometown, which pleases Anatoly, but local CIA operatives are suspicious...why would the Soviets allow people to leave Russia just to see a friend? Even Svetlana, Anatoly's wife, has been flown into Budapest to see her defecting husband. She wishes the best for Anatoly, and decides not to inform him that as a result of his defection, Svetlana lost their apartment, her brother was denied access to medical school, Anatoly's own brother has also been forced to move to a smaller apartment, and back in Moscow Anatoly has been falsely accused of embezzling...all information Anatoly learns from Molokov. Molokov no longer has an 'official' role, and is officially in Budapest merely because of his love of chess. Unofficially, he badly wants Anatoly back and has no hesitation in exerting pressure or veiled threats. He also makes an ally in Freddie's agent, Walter, for unknown reasons. These threats strain Anatoly's relationship with Florence, and she shares her Anatoly-related woes with Svetlana. The threats also degrade Anatoly's ability to play chess, so that Freddie starts winning games until they are tied 5-5...the next game will decide the match. Freddie reminisces his childhood to a sexy female reporter, and eagerly anticipates winning the match, being totally oblivious to Anatoly's troubles. Molokov then informs Florence that they have found her father and they can see him tonight! While she does not remember her father, and she does not recognize herself as the baby in the photo her father shows her, he still convinces her through a Hungarian lullabuy. As the scene rises on the final game, Anatoly is missing, and no one sympathizes...there have been so many shenanigans in the tournament that no one wants to hear any more excuses. All are prepared to concede the match to Freddie when Anatoly wanders in and proceeds to play. He has not slept all night. During the game he realizes that despite all the family that he has brought harm to, by his defection, he cannot hurt his true love, Florence, by depriving her of her father. He chooses to recant his defection, and makes a tactical error. Freddie immediately takes advantage of the blunder and proceeds to win the game...and the tournament, becoming the new world champion. Anatoly returns to Moscow a broken man. Florence is waiting for her father so they can leave for America when she is approached by Walter. He confesses to her that the old man is not her father and her father is most likely dead. It seems that the Soviets struck a deal with Walter, a secret CIA agent, that if they managed to get Anatoly back, they would release a captured American spy. Their initial attempts at getting Anatoly back, by using Svetlana, and other family members had failed, and they had finally succeeded by using Florence. As the curtain closes, Florence has left Freddie, been lost by Anatoly, and lost the father she never had, and she realizes that her only borders lie around her heart.
The "Chess In Concert" album
This is a recording of a concert performance (not a full stage production) in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1994. The songs and lyrics are largely identical to the studio album, with the addition of "Someone Else's Story" (from the Broadway version) and "The Soviet Machine".
Principal cast
- Florence - Karin Glenmark
- The Russian - Tommy Körberg
- The American - Anders Glenmark
- Svetlana - Lena Ericsson
- Molokov - Johan Schinkler
- The Arbiter - Lars Risberg
Songs
- Merano
- The Russian and Molokov / Where I Want To Be
- Opening Ceremony
- Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)
- The American and Florence / Nobody's Side
- Chess
- Mountain Duet
- Florence Quits
- Someone Else's Story
- Embassy Lament
- Anthem
- Bangkok / One Night in Bangkok
- The Soviet Machine
- Heaven Help My Heart
- Argument
- I Know Him So Well
- The Deal (No Deal)
- Pity The Child
- Endgame
- Epilogue: You And I / The Story of Chess
The Danish tour album
In late 2001, a 2-CD album of the Danish Tour of Chess was released. The tour followed the London version of the musical, and the first release of the album had the complete London score (minus small portions of underscoring). Later pressings are missing several tracks (as noted).
Principal cast
- Florence Vassy - Emma Kershaw
- Anatoly Sergievsky - Stig Rossen
- Freddie Trumper - Zubin Varla
- Svetlana Sergievskaya - Gunilla Backman
- Alexander Molokov - Simon Clark
- Walter DeCourcey - James Graeme
- The Arbiter = Michael Cormick
Songs
- The Story of Chess
- Merano
- Commie Newspapers / Press Conference (cut)
- Anatoly and Molokov / Where I Want to Be
- US vs. USSR
- The Arbiter's Song
- Hymn to Chess
- Merchandisers
- Chess #1
- The Arbiter - Reprise
- Florence & Molokov
- 1956 - Budapest is Rising
- Nobody's Side
- Der Kleine Franz (cut)
- Mountain Duet / Who'd Ever Think It?
- Chess #2
- Florence Quits
- Pity the Child
- Embassy Lament
- Heaven Help My Heart
- Anatoly and the Press (cut)
- Anthem
- The Golden Bangkok / One Night in Bangkok
- One More Opponent (cut) / You and I
- The Soviet Machine
- The Interview
- Someone Else's Story
- The Deal
- I Know Him So Well
- Talking Chess (cut)
- Endgame
- You and I - Reprise
- Finale
The 2002 Stockholm Version
Principal cast
- Florence - Helen Sjöholm
- Anatolij - Tommy Körberg
- Freddie - Anders Ekborg
- Svetlana - Josefin Nilsson
- The Arbiter - Rolf Skoglund
- Molokov - Per Myrberg
Songs
- Ouvertyr
- Historien om schack (Story of Chess)
- Där jag ville vara (Where I Want to Be)
- Merano
- Anatolij och Molokov (The Russian and Molokov)
- Ungern '56 (Florence and the American)
- Lämna inga dörrar på glänt (Nobody's Side)
- Jag vill se schack (The Arbiter's Song)
- Chess
- Kvartett - En förebild för dygd och högst ambition (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility)
- Lärarens historia
- Inte jag (Someone Else's Story)
- Möte på en bro (Mountain Duet)
- Hon är min enda vän (A Taste of Pity)
- Om Florences far
- I mitt hjärtas land (Anthem)
- Florence lämnar Freddie (Argument)
- Vem ser ett barn (Pity the Child)
- Ni dömer mig (Endgame)
- Om han var här (Heaven Help My Heart)
- Han är en man, han är ett barn
- Merano
- Vem kunde ana (The Deal)
- Drömmar av glas (You and I)
- Jag vill se schack (The Arbiter's Song)
- Jag vet vad han vill (I Know Him So Well)
- Glöm mig om du kan
- Capablanca
- Drömmar av glas / Historien om schack (You and I / The Story of Chess)
Production history
London 1986
Chess premiered in the Prince Edward Theatre in London on 14 May 1986, to . It was originally set to be directed by Michael Bennett, but he withdrew for health reasons that would later turn out to be AIDS. The show was rescued by director Trevor Nunn, who shepherded the show on to its scheduled opening, albeit with considerable technical difficulty.
In London, Chess was a massive physical production, with estimated costs up to $12 million. It expanded the storyline of the concept album, adding considerable new recitative. The show brought back principals Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg, and Murray Head, and added Siobhan McCarthy as Svetlana, John Turner as Molokov, Kevin Colson as Walter, and Tom Jobe as the Arbiter. It attracted several other West End stars, such as Anthony Stewart Head, Grenia Renihan, David Burt and Peter Karrie, in its three years. Chess closed in London on 8 April 1989.
Broadway 1988
After London, most of the creative team were dissatisfied with the state of the show. Tim Rice proposed a new version for Broadway, but it was panned by Trevor Nunn, who instead brought in playwright Richard Nelson to recreate the musical as a book show. After some controversy over bringing in principals from the London cast, Nunn brought in new, younger principals (after having disqualified Paige from playing Florence by insisting on writing the character as an American).
The first preview on 11 April 1988 reportedly ran as long as 4 hours; by opening night on 28 April, it was down to 3 hours 15 minutes. The critics, most notably Frank Rich of The New York Times, panned the show strongly, though many would withdraw their harsh notices after seeing the debacle that was Carrie. Chess developed something of a cult following, but even cuts for time and good word of mouth was not enough to keep it from closing on 25 June after it won no Tony Awards.
Nelson's book (which is still used in American productions) is a frequent target of scorn from critics and fans alike, though it has its supporters. Many subsequent attempts would be made to fix perceived problems in it.
Around the world: 1990 - 1992
Chess was now a mixed success from a smash hit album - in other words, fertile ground for those seeking to "get it right." The first major attempt was the US tour, which ran from January - April 1990. The tour, starring Carolee Carmello, John Herrera, and Stephen Bogardus, and brilliantly staged by Des McAnuff, was not able to fix the problems of the Nelson book. Robert Coe, the playwright charged with revising it, only had 4 weeks to complete his task and could not make it work despite regular changes, and the tour closed in relative obscurity despite some positive reviews. The tour in the United Kingdom, starring Rebecca Storm, was a smash.
Also in 1990 was the production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, near Chicago. Directed by David H. Bell and starring Susie McMonagle, David Studwell and Kim Strauss, it was a far more successful reworking of the Nelson script, most notable for giving Florence her father back in what is called a "compromise ending." Bell's version has been successful in Sacramento and Atlanta as well. Tim Rice also had his say in a wonderful production in Sydney, Australia, where Jim Sharman directed a rewrite done totally by Rice. It starred Jodie Gillies, David McLeod, and Robbie Krupski, and was a critical and popular success until it was done in by the Australian recession of 1990.
Chess was, even in 1990, trying to keep itself modern; the ending of the Cold War was noted in all versions of the show. Once the Soviet Union fell, the modernisation attempts died out, and the clock was set back; Tim Rice's 1990 rewrite that played a brief run Off-Broadway went all the way back to 1972, though much like the US Tour and Sydney versions, it settled into the dustbin of history. The Chess mania that had swept the world more or less died down to a diet of occasional productions of the Broadway and London versions for the next decade.
Stockholm 2002
In late 2001, rumors began to fly about a new production in Stockholm. Written entirely in Swedish, with lyrics and book by Björn Ulvaeus, Lars Rudolffson, and Jan Mark, it tried to streamline the story back to its basics from the rather convoluted tale that had sprung up. Featuring two new musical numbers ("Han är en man, han är ett barn" and "Glöm mig om du kan") and focusing on material from the concept album, the Stockholm version turned the show on its head. It was filmed for Swedish television, and has been released on a Swedish-language DVD. There have been rumors of a new production, and Tim Rice has mentioned on several occasions his desire to bring a translated version back to London and / or Broadway, but no firm announcements have been made thus far.de:Chess sv:Chess