CHESS Previews- Page 10

[melfi39]

Posted: 10/29/25 at 8:53am

Ensemble1728379893 said: "Yesterday and today, the show ran almost 2:45. You will have enough time.

Just seen it again. A few things.

Yesterday performance was much better vocally from Christopher. Today he seemed cautious. It is too bad that there is no stop/buttonafter Endgame. He deserves a big ovation and he does not get it.

The creatives will burn in Hell by cutting up "You and I." It is divided into two parts. The first part during the "No Deal" sequence and then at the end. However, it lacks the grandiosity of the original Cast album. The end just fizzles.

Something that I thought worked well was the introduction of the Able Archer exercises during Endgame.

I noticed that when "I Know Him So Well" starts, Svetlana disappears and it becomes Lea M.'s song until Svetlana appears again. Strange.

I have a feeling critics might go mixed to negative."

Thank you so much! 

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/29/25 at 10:58am

melfi39 said: "uncageg said: "They have trimmed it to 2 hours and 45 minutes and I was told it is possible they may try to take off a bit more time."

Thank you!!"

 

Most welcome. I saw it on Monday and it ended right at about 10:15. It was a 7:30 curtain. That would give you plenty of time to walk the block and a half through Times Square over to the Lyceum.  They are both on 45th and the Lyceum is a bit closer to Times Square on the same side of the street as the imperial. It may take you a bit more than 5 minutes with getting out of the Imperial and foot traffic down the block but you should make it. I suspect "Oh, Mary!" Goes up at 5 after the hour like a lot of shows. CHESS went up at 7:34 on Monday. Enjoy your shows!

 

Updated On: 10/29/25 at 10:58 AM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/29/25 at 1:48pm

Not enough folk have seen the show yet to generalize but I don't detect the comments overall improving as the thread wears on, though I much appreciate the specificity of the feedback here. The show arrives a hit for the time being, with $1.8 million last week for 7 performances. {What's the weekly operating cost? It's been presumed to be $750k, which seems low to me.} Clearly, out of the gate a validating launch. (Sidebar: has the "like" functionality been disabled, or have I been punished for something? Always a possibility. )

Updated On: 10/29/25 at 01:48 PM

[shomeika]

Posted: 10/29/25 at 1:56pm

The "like" button doesn't seem to be working, it's not just you. 

Updated On: 10/29/25 at 01:56 PM

[Barihunk]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 1:33am

I've seen it and agree that the whiplash between the snarky commentary and the melodrama ultimately doesn't work.

IMO, it wouldn't be to hard to salvage this:

• Strike the set and use a bare stage,
• Redo the lighting plan so it's only white lights and fog, 
• Relocate the orchestra to the pit,
• Keep the book as is but recalibrate the performances so it's all delivered without irony
• Keep the choreography and blocking 

It would be mistaken as another "innovative" production by Jamie Lloyd and be the critical darling of the season.. 

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 6:47am

Still trying to work out what I think of the show after seeing yesterday’s matinee.  Vocals were great and Bryce as the narrator was perfection.  I was thinking that he’s needed because most people were just not getting the show.  It gave me a “Chicago” vibe with the staging.

The two male leads are fantastic.  The women were good but the book seemed to highjack their story making them less important especially removing the father story/meeting from Florence.  While I love the duet between the two women, here it didn’t make sense.  Also “Someone Else Story” as an 11 o’clock number?  Again, I don’t remember it’s place before but it seems like it was inserted because it’s a great song so why not end with it.

The timing was essentially 2 hrs 45 minutes.  Also the curtain cal, the three lead all came out at the same time but from different entrances with Lea taking the final bow.

All in all enjoyable, but more for the vocals and orchestrations.    

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 8:12am

BuddyStarr said: "Still trying to work out what I think of the show after seeing yesterday’s matinee. Vocals were great and Bryce as the narrator was perfection. I was thinking that he’s needed because most people were just not getting the show. It gave me a “Chicago” vibe with the staging.

The two male leads are fantastic. The women were good but the book seemed to highjack their story making them less important especially removing the father story/meetingfrom Florence. While I love the duet between the two women, here it didn’t make sense. Also “Someone Else Story” as an 11 o’clock number? Again, I don’t remember it’s place before but it seems like it was inserted because it’s a great song so why not end with it.

The timing was essentially 2 hrs 45 minutes. Also the curtain cal, the three lead all came out at the same time but from different entrances with Lea taking the final bow.

All in all enjoyable, but more for the vocals and orchestrations. "

I think people are reading too much into Lea getting the final bow  theres two guys and a woman as lead,  I think its just giving the female role the final bow, nothing more to it plus theyve been advertising the show with Lea photographed between the two men so having them come from the sides and her come up the middle fits with that. 

beyond that, are you saying they changed the ending and removed her dad coming back?

 

 

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 8:18am

GirlFromOz68 said: "BuddyStarr said: "Still trying to work out what I think of the show after seeing yesterday’s matinee. Vocals were great and Bryce as the narrator was perfection. I was thinking that he’s needed because most people were just not getting the show. It gave me a “Chicago” vibe with the staging.

The two male leads are fantastic. The women were good but the book seemed to highjack their story making them less important especially removing the father story/meetingfrom Florence. While I love the duet between the two women, here it didn’t make sense. Also “Someone Else Story” as an 11 o’clock number? Again, I don’t remember it’s place before but it seems like it was inserted because it’s a great song so why not end with it.

The timing was essentially 2 hrs 45 minutes. Also the curtain cal, the three lead all came out at the same time but from different entrances with Lea taking the final bow.

All in all enjoyable, but more for the vocals and orchestrations. "

I think people are reading too much into Lea getting the final bow theres two guys and a woman as lead, I think its just giving the female role the final bow, nothing more to it plus theyve been advertising the show with Lea photographed between the two men so having them come from the sides and her come up the middle fits with that.

beyond that, are you saying they changed the ending and removed her dad coming back?

No, From what I recall from seeing Chess (a long time ago), there was a scene where she meets her father when she’s trying to get Anatoly to lose the match and it’s unclear whether the man is really her father or someone the KGB found to impersonate her father.

He comes back but as an audience member it’s hard to believe the relationship because you’ve never seen him before (I wondered how much the actor is getting paid for essentially a walk on at the end).  

 

Updated On: 10/30/25 at 08:18 AM

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 8:40am

BuddyStarr said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "BuddyStarr said: "Still trying to work out what I think of the show after seeing yesterday’s matinee. Vocals were great and Bryce as the narrator was perfection. I was thinking that he’s needed because most people were just not getting the show. It gave me a “Chicago” vibe with the staging.

The two male leads are fantastic. The women were good but the book seemed to highjack their story making them less important especially removing the father story/meetingfrom Florence. While I love the duet between the two women, here it didn’t make sense. Also “Someone Else Story” as an 11 o’clock number? Again, I don’t remember it’s place before but it seems like it was inserted because it’s a great song so why not end with it.

The timing was essentially 2 hrs 45 minutes. Also the curtain cal, the three lead all came out at the same time but from different entrances with Lea taking the final bow.

All in all enjoyable, but more for the vocals and orchestrations. "

I think people are reading too much into Lea getting the final bow theres two guys and a woman as lead, I think its just giving the female role the final bow, nothing more to it plus theyve been advertising the show with Lea photographed between the two men so having them come from the sides and her come up the middle fits with that.

beyond that, are you saying they changed the ending and removed her dad coming back?

No, From what I recall from seeing Chess (a long time ago), there was a scene where she meets her father when she’s trying to get Anatoly to lose the match and it’s unclear whether the man is really her father or someone the KGB found to impersonate her father.

He comes back but as an audience member it’s hard to believe the relationship because you’ve never seen him before (I wondered how much the actor is getting paid for essentially a walk on at the end).

"

thanks for the clarification. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 10:14am

I saw this yesterday not being familiar with the material other than knowing a couple of the songs out of context. A cheap ticket (at least in comparison to the regular prices; $99 for partial view side orchestra that was essentially full view except for the most minor things) opened up so I took it.

My main takeaway: the narrator is godawful and must be stopped.

I'm pretty sure that is not what I was supposed to get out of it, but with every stupid, smug, smirking aside I was just getting more livid, to the point where I was having a visceral reaction and recoiling every time he showed up after a song to completely ruin the mood that had been created with a dumb joke or obnoxious line.

When "One Night in Bangkok" ended and he strolled out and said, "Damn, that was hot!"

When Svetlana finished her big emotional song and he strolled out and said, "Oh, shiiiiiiiit!" (This was where I was on the verge of booing him.)

In the big climactic moment when he rattles off all the stakes and the players, building to a melodramatic, "Here at the climax of OUR COLD WAR MUSICAL!" 



 

Yes, a lot of the audience laughed, but audiences frequently laugh at stupid things. The things are still stupid. And this was thoroughly. He introduces one character by saying, "he's kind of a dick," and later after one manipulative moment from that character pops up to say, "See, I told you he was kind of a dick." And I thought, "And yet, somehow less of a dick than you are."

It's a shame, because otherwise this is an enjoyable enough evening of people with great voices belting their faces off. Tveit, Michele, Cruz, and especially Rodriguez are all great. Until it falls apart at the end, the plot is easy enough to follow, even if it may not hold up to close examination. It's sensible enough to carry the audience along from song to song.

But yes, it does fall apart at the end. Even knowing nothing about how the plot usually works I could tell "Someone Else's Story" doesn't make sense where they have it. The lyrics simply don't apply to her relationship to Anatoly as it's been portrayed at that point in the show, which has entirely seemed like genuine love (and would obviously make more sense referring to Freddie earlier). All of the events in the end starting from that song are also really rushed.

 

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The reunion with her father is both poorly staged and written (him saying he heard he was freed because of a chess match and the audience braying in laughter just showed how the tone was off). It also made little sense that the KGB that showed no indication of caring at all about these people would come through on its promise. It would have hit harder and made more sense if we had seen Anatoly agree to go back if they returned her father...and then they didn't. Because why would they? There was nothing he could do about it after they had him back.

If they cut all of the narrator's jokes and bits and made him a straightforward deliverer of exposition this would have worked much better as an entertaining showcase for talented people giving 100% to their songs. Instead, it's songs punctuated with this:

Updated On: 10/30/25 at 10:14 AM