If you missed CHESS at the Arvada Center, fear not, you can still catch it at its new home, the
Lone Tree Arts Center. You won’t
miss it – it’s big, big, big! CHESS, written by Benny Andersson and
Bjorn Ulvaeus with lyrics by Tim Rice, allows no time for the viewer to get complacent. As soon as you’ve been seated,
there is an immediate onslaught of songs that quickly establish the story, which is set during the
Cold War and played out via a National Chess Match in Merano, Italy between the
Soviet champion Anatoly Sergievsky and US champion, Frederick Trumper.
The game of chess acts as a powerful allegory between these powerhouses throughout the play. CHESS is directed with clever staging by Rod Lansberry,
suggesting The Arbiter has his hands on the game at all times. (SPOILER) The Soviets clearly have the upper hand in this one, not
only in their inevitable win at the chess match, but also in the music that was
written for them, which favors the angst and passion of the Soviets, namely the character of Anatoly, who is
masterfully played by Tally Sessions. (END SPOILER) In Act I his “Where I Want to Be” holds the audience captive. “Anthem” the final number in Act I is
so riveting, you’re glad that there’s an intermission.
There aren’t many productions of CHESS still being offered 30 years after it was first written. Mostly because
it’s a difficult musical to do well.
In this version, there are 23 songs in Act I and 18 in Act II - and this
music is demanding. With such a
challenging musical, it seems that a director has two options - to pick
either a clear story with less music, or go for all of the music that was added
over several productions over the course of several years with the result being a convoluted
outcome. For the size of stage
available at the Lone Tree Arts Center, less would have been preferred as it would have allowed the story to unfold while still retaining the musical numbers the audiences long to hear.
Act II opens with crowd favorite “One Night in Bangkok," with flashy costumes and lots of skin. Very fun! This Act also features solos by Anatoly’s wife Svetlana, played by Megan Van De Hey. She fights for Anatoly in “You and I” and keeps the audience spellbound. Passion reigns in this two and half hour piece, and love allows the natural course of things to settle, but like any game, someone will lose. Who?
The Arvada Center production of CHESS, A MUSICAL is at the Lone Tree Arts Center plays through
April 29. For dates and times visit LoneTreeArtsCenter.org.
(Editor's Note: Video of One Night in Bangkok is the classic Murray Head version from the 1980s)
(Editor's Note: Video of One Night in Bangkok is the classic Murray Head version from the 1980s)