Chess

The Davis Musical Theatre Company has hit one out of the ballpark with its wonderful new production of 'Chess,' directed by Steve Isaacson, with musical direction by Isaacson and Jonathan Rothman, and choreography by Pamela Lourentzos.

The cast is outstanding, the set, in places, breathtaking .. .and where in the world do they fit a 19-piece orchestra in that little understage pit?

The story may be a little confusing to follow, as much of the plot seems to take place between scenes and you gradually come to realize what is going on. Fortunately, unlike the last production of this show that I saw, the actors' diction was quite good, which made it easier to catch up.

But if the music occasionally sounds vaguely familiar, and you can't quite place it, it may be because it was written by ABBA musicians Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson (lyrics by Tim Rice and book by Richard Nelson).

The action begins in 1956 Budapest, where Gregor Vassy (Jason Markel), is hiding with other refugees, and teaching his young daughter Florence (the adorable Naomi Debello) to play chess. During the course of the lessons he tells 'The Story of Chess.'

Her father arranges for Florence to be sent to safety in America, but before they part, he breaks a chess piece in two, giving her half and keeping half for himself, as his promise that they will one day be reunited. His 'Father's Lullaby' was very touching.

Nearly 30 years later we discover that Florence is now playing 'second' to the petulant, overindulged (and overindulgent) American chess master, Freddie Trumper (David Holmes), who has come to Bangkok, Thailand, for an international competition against Russian master Anatoly Sergievsky (Tevye Ditter).

Holmes is marvelous as the boorish Trumper while Ditter, in addition to bringing a wonderful voice to the role, also adds a quiet dignity to the proceedings.

Repeating the role she played in 2000, Andrea Eve Thorpe is wonderful as the adult Florence Vassy. Her voice has the proper brassy tone to bring the right sound to the Ulvaeus/Anderson music. Her duet with Anatoly's wife Svetlana (Eimi Taormina), 'I Know Him So Well,' is a show-stopper. It's a painful acknowledgment by a wife and a lover that neither of them can give their man all he needs.

(It was nice to see the talented Taormina in such a meaty role.)

Other excellent performances are given by Roger Clark, as the perfect KGB agent, Ivan Molokov. Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly is Walter Anderson, the American opportunist who finds a way to manipulate both sides to his own advantage. Elio Gutierrez is memorable in the short role of the arbiter.

The story concerns Freddie's tantrum when he feels that somehow Anatoly is cheating at their chess game because he eats yogurt during the game, and Anatoly's ultimate decision to defect to the West, singing the beautiful and emotional 'Anthem.'

In Act 2 there is a rematch set in Budapest and we learn the repercussions for Anatoly's family following his decision to defect, and the painful decisions everyone will have to make.

John Ewing's scenic design was simple, but beautiful. The floor is painted a black-and-white checkerboard and the pattern is repeated on the back wall. The wall is occasionally lit in various shades of red (lighting design by Steve Isaacson), providing an effective mood change.

However, the most impressive effect was at the start of the scene in a Bangkok nightclub, which begins with a breathtaking figure standing tall with draped gold fabric. Definitely one of the most memorable moments of the evening.

This production of 'Chess' is a winner.

Don't miss it.

Chess

Each game of chess
Means there’s one less variation to be played

Appropriate lyrics for a show which has seen more variations than most. In 1980, lyricist Tim Rice developed the concept in a 5-page synopsis, exploring how the Cold War affected the lives it touched, much the same way chess pieces are moved about on a chess board

Rice’s synopsis was expanded and with music written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (both of ABBA), was first recorded as a “concept album” in 1984. The first staged production did not occur until 1986. There have been several rewrites, including an ill-fated 3 hour production which ran for only 68 performances on Broadway.

The version which was first presented in Chicago in 1990 is a splendid opener to the Davis Musical Theatre Company’s 16th season. Directed by Steve Isaacson, the production gives us pre-Glasnost stereotypes of good guys and bad guys, with a chess board as the battlefield.

Costume designer Jean Henderson sets the stage by dressing her good guys (the Americans) all in white and her bad guys (the Russians) in black, with red ties. The ensemble are in black or shades of gray.

The story follows two chess grandmasters--the boorish, self-centered American champion and his Russian challenger--through two matches, one in Bangkok and one in Hungary--during the last throes of the Cold War. The plot does not follow smoothly, from one scene to the next, so crisp diction is a must for understanding all the elements. Regretfully, this was not always the case in Saturday night’s performance.

The action begins in 1956 Budapest, where Gregor Vassy (Doug Ackerman, impressive in his DMTC debut), is hiding with other refugees, and teaching his young daughter Florence (Julia Spangler) to play chess. He arranges for Florence to be sent to safety in America, but breaks a chess piece in two, giving her half and keeping half for himself, as his promise that they will one day be reunited.

The scene shifts to 1985 Bangkok and a press conference for the two competitors in an impending international chess competition. The American, Freddie Trumper (played to the hilt by Jeremiah Lowder, in his DMTC debut) acts like an obnoxious jerk, irritating his opponent, Anatoly Sergievsky (Troy Thomas), and embarrassing his assistant, the now grown-up Florence (Andrea Eve Thorpe).

Tempers flare at the chess match itself and Freddie storms out after accusing Anatoly of somehow cheating. In attempting to smooth things over, Florence arranges for a meeting between Freddie and Anatoly. Freddie instead goes out on the town and gets drunk (“One Night in Bangkok”). When Freddie doesn’t arrive for the meeting, Florence realizes she has feelings for Anatoly and Freddie, arriving late, catches her in Anatoly’s arms. Anatoly apologizes and Freddie agrees to accept his apology but only because a fan has offered him $100,000 to continue the match. He turns abusive to Florence, who moves out of his suite.

In the middle of the match, Anatoly decides to defect to the west, aided by Freddie’s press agent, Walter (Clifton Wood). He takes Florence with him and when questioned by reporters, justifies his decision by explaining that my land’s only borders lie around my heart (from “Anthem,” beautifully sung by Troy Thomas).

Act two finds us in Budapest where we are asked to suspend disbelief and accept the fact that a Russian defector could safely travel behind the Iron Curtain only 3 months later to continue a chess match. For some reason which is not made clear, Walter, who aided Anatoly to defect, and who is really working for the CIA, is now working with Anatoly’s former assistant, KGB agent Molokov (Tim O’Laughlin) to convince Anatoly to return to Russia. In an attempt to pressure him, they arrange a meeting with Anatoly’s wife, Svetlana (Charlotte Mraz). Svetlana and Florence meet alone and admit that neither can give Anatoly all that he needs. They sing the hauntingly beautiful duet, “I know him so well,” a high point of the evening.

Anatoly is given many reasons for returning to Russia and must choose between his love for Florence and his love for his family. As he makes his decision, we realize that even international chess players are the pawns of their nation's diplomatic corps, security services, and marketing analysts.

The small DMTC orchestra does a superb job under the direction of Mark Ottinger II. Choreography by Tucker Tye Davis (who also plays the Arbiter) is particularly good in the Bangkok nightlife scene. The ensemble is strong, especially in the second act’s opening Hungarian folk song.

The set, designed by John Ewing, is a simple raked black and white chessboard, with the addition of neon signs (some even written in Thai) brought in for “One Night in Bangkok.”

Chess runs weekends through October 1 at the Varsity Theatre.