Signature's Chess — Page 4

I just got in from this afternoon's matinee and I felt it was a mixed bag. I got a $30 rush ticket (side balcony, still a great view of the stage). The box office made a list of names for those waiting for rush tickets, so one didn't have to hang out in the lobby of Signature. When they sold the tickets one hour before show time, there was only me and one other person who had signed up.

This is the 5th incarnation of Chess I have seen since seeing the original Broadway production in 1988.

I want to start by mentioning the orchestra which did a wonderful job with the score. David Holcenberg was responsible for the orchestrations in this production and they were beautiful.

Jill Paice is a beautiful woman with a good voice, but I just didn't particularly care for her as Florence for some reason. I thought Jeremy Kushnier (Freddie) and Euan Morton (Anatoly) were both excellent in their respective roles. A particular standout to me was Eleasha Gamble (Svetlana). Although she wasn't on stage until the 2nd act, she made the most of her scenes and songs. She has a gorgeous voice.

The set design was very minimal, but it worked in the small space. I found Karma Camp's choreography to be somewhat vulgar.

IMO, One Night in Bangkok has never worked in any of the productions of this show I have seen. I just wish the song were cut all together.

The book was fiddled with a bit and I felt the show could have ended right after Florence and Anatoly sang the reprise of "You and I". Act 2 was definitely much stronger than Act 1. The show ran 2 hours 10 minutes with a 10 minute intermission.

It was nice to see since I enjoy the score to this show, but this definitely wasn't my favorite production of Chess. That still belongs to the 1st national tour I saw in 1990. That being said, I thought all of the singers annunciated the lyrics very well. This was the first time I really enjoyed hearing, "A Model of Decorum and Tranquility" because although the 4 singers were singing separate melodies of the song, each were heard equally as opposed to everything being jumbled (if that makes any sense).

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Updated On: 8/28/10 at 06:38 PM

"IMO, One Night in Bangkok has never worked in any of the productions of this show I have seen. I just wish the song were cut all together."

That is probably the most fascinating thing I've ever read regarding the score! I only ever became aware of Chess because of the video with Murray Head that was such a hit back in '84, and I've honestly never questioned it since. I *loved* that video, and I *loved* that single... in 1984... when I was 10. Having said that, I can say that I HATED the song on the OBC, and while it's usually used to kick off the second act, it's not exactly an essential number to the plot. It could (and probably should) be scrubbed for the sake of a more coherent book. Has there ever been another example of a musical cutting its biggest hit for the sake of continuity?

Read more: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?page=4&thread=1020598&boardid=1#ixzz0xxw5BMjU

(^WTH, BWW? We don't need to "Read More:" We're already here.)_

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The show runs until September 26.

Here is Peter Marks' review from today's Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/29/AR2010082902676.html?hpid=sec-artsliving. While I often disagree with Peter Marks, in this case I do think he is pretty much right on the money. The performances were stellar (especially, in my opinion, that of Jill Paice, who was magnificent). By focusing on the love story, and tinkering with the order of songs and the book, Eric Schaeffer did a nice job of getting the story to flow. But it is tough to get too emotionally vested in these characters.

Powers that be: Please transfer this. That is all. :)

Great news about the extension. I'm going to see it again this weekend.

Saw it tonight, and am somewhat underwhelmed. It's a good time with two leads in wonderful voice (Morton and Kushnier) but it still doesn't overcome the senseless plot. I went with a friend who had never seen the show, and who had only heard 2 or 3 songs, and she came away completely confused as to the story slash point. So, no vote for transferring until the authors figure out what the heck the show is even about.

It's definitely an quality production and one I was glad to see, if only to hear Kushnier absolutely kill in Pity the Child. The ensemble too were crazy belting, far overpowering Paice in Nobody's Side. I didn't much care for her singing or acting overall; didn't actively dislike it, but was just left cold. Fortunately, Morton can both rock the high tenor edge and still offer lovely legit vibrato in Anthem and mostly make Anatoly seem genuiune. And yes, to those commenting on the colorblind casting of Svetlana, it did take me out of the show. The actress is a regular with Signature.

Technically: I hated how the tv screens were used. It's one thing to use them to display the place and date, or to add a colorful background for the restaurant, and quite another to literally display pictures of the men to illustrate "the one I should not think of...". Really? Cause we couldn't figure that out on our own? Or, the maudlin scenes of a lonely childhood (teddy bear on the sidewalk, abandoned tricycle...) during Pity the Child. They also used the screens to display the Arbiter giving the score updates in the second act, which would have been ok if the audio and video were properly synched.

There were a lot of issues with the sound, from some weird levels of the individual instruments to the singers being amped WAY too loud for the pit to the overuse of reverb. Generally, overloud for such a small space. And I'm not sure what to think of the orchestrations, credited to David Holcenberg (scored for woodwinds, 2 violins, 2 celli, 2 keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums). As cheesy as the heavy 80s synthesizer sound of the original was, it really gave an impetus and urgency to the faster songs that was missing with the more orchestral arrangement. I think they also cut some guitar wailing and dialed down the percussion, further reducing the rock vibe. The vaguely "asian" introduction to Terrace Duet is on the keyboard, and seemed more exposed when used as underscore and counter throughout most of the song, and it is terribly jarring. Just awful. But major kudos to the cast for great diction throughout, especially in making Quartet crystal clear.

Choreography was a leeetle silly, but serviceable (the only good part of Bangkok was the dancers silhouetted behind translucent panels at the start...all downhill from there). Dynamic lighting although they probably should have given a strobe warning as the light columns against the back wall flash quickly and very brightly. Costumes were ambiguously contemporary, but thankfully didn't smack you over the head with the standard black/white theme.

I suppose Schaeffer gets the credit for reorganizing the show so that some semblance of a story unfolds, but it's not really one you care too much about. There's no one to root for, and even Walter and Molokov aren't openly slimy enough to root against. Nice song, nice song, some dialogue setting up the next nice song...about it.

Excellent interview, thanks for posting it. I saw Jill in Gone With The Wind in London and she has nothing to regret. She gave an amazing performance in that not so great show.

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I agree that Judy Kuhn delivered the best vocal performance of any Florance. Her Nobody's Side is stunning.

I saw the show at Signature this weekend and would recommend it. I saw the original West End production, but it's been so long and the "plot" has changed since then, so what passes for a plot was almost new. I thought Peter Marks' review for the Washington Post, which I read after seeing the show, captured my experience pretty well. I thought the singers were great but it was their performance of the songs that grabbed me, not their characters. The book has always been and is still the weakest part of the show. But that didn't get in the way of my enjoyment at all. Kudos to all of the performers.

Saw this over the weekend and I just don't get people who say this production should move to Broadway. It would need a complete overhaul. For one, Karma Camp's choreography was very amateurish. There was one guy in the ensemble who stuck out like a sore thumb trying to "butch" it up. Way over the top. Jill Paice was adequate. I found her mini boots very distracting. I realize that's a costume design issue. I guess I went in with high expectations, especially after reading the review in the Washington Post.

Last night I went to the discussion with the cast after the show, and they said that producers from NYC were interested in transfering it, and that they are hoping (me too) for it to work out. BUT they also said that they're hoping to get Mr. Richard Nelson to fix the book for them if they do so. Anyways,I'm hoping for some good news.

PS - Jill Paice made it VERY clear that she WILL NOT let this production go to Bway without her. VERY clear!