FLORENCE VASSY....................Susie McMonagle
Directed and Choreographed by David H. Bell
ACT TWO
Other productions based on the Chicago
version:
CHICAGO Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre
Opened January 28, 1990. Closed April/May 1990 (limited run)
Kary M. Walker, Producer
Dyanne K. Earley, Artistic Director
Peter R. Grigsby, Director of Marketing
present
CHESS
music by BENNY ANDERSSON - BJÖRN
ULVAEUS
lyrics by TIM RICE
based on an idea by TIM RICE
Book by RICHARD NELSON
Broadway Production Presented by
The Shubert Organization, 3 Knights Ltd, Robert Fox, Ltd
Directed by Trevor Nunn
Cast
ANATOLY SERGIEVSKY............David Studwell
FREDDIE TRUMPER..................Kim Strauss
WALTER......................................Dale Morgan
IVAN MOLOKOV.........................Neil Friedman
SVETLANA SERGIEVSKY...........Susan Moniz
ARBITER....................................Alton F. White
Russian "King".........................Harrison McEldowney
American "King".........................Rob Rahn
Gregor Vassy..............................Larry Russo
Florence Vassy (as a child).............Erin Stites
American "Queen".......................Lori Longstreth
Nicolai.........................................Randal Keith
Joe...............................................Russell Reneau
Harold...........................................Rob Rahn
The Company: Randal Keith, Larry Russo, Robert
Winn Austin, James Braet, Patti Davidson-Gorbea, Douglas
Graham, Lori Longstreth, Catherine Lord, Harrison
McEldowney, Rob Rain, Russell Reneau, Karyn
Young-Lowe
Set Design by Thomas M. Ryan, U.S.A.A.
Costume Design by Nancy Missimi, U.S.A.A.
Lighting Design by Diane Ferry Williams
Properties by Kathy Klaisner
Sound Design by Randy Allen Johns
Orchestral Reducation by David Siegel
Synthesizer/MIDI Design and Programming by Brett
Alan Sommer
Assistant Director Dyanne Earley
Synopsis
ACT ONE
Essentially following the New York scene and song order,
the show opens in 1956 Budapest,
Gregor Vassy teaching his tiny daughter to play chess
("The Story of Chess"). The other
refugees hiding with them join Gregor as he sings her to
sleep ("Apukad"). When the guns
start, he makes two chess pieces into amulets and vows
to his daughter they will find
each other again. Freddie is introduced at the Bangkok
press conference and it's clear
he's a good guy, but very, very tough ("What a Scene!
What a Joy!/"Smile, You Got Your
First Exclusive Story"). In a dual scene--cinematically
intercutting between Anatoly's
suite ("Where I Want to Be") and Florence and Freddie's
("How Many Women")--it's clear
there's trouble in both camps. The "Arbiter's Song" is
combined with a verse of "U.S.
vs. U.S.S.R." to lay down the rules and play begins. The
"Quartet" draws the battle
lines and introduces the living chess pieces who form
around the four, symbolically
reminding them they're there to play chess. Florence
tries to force Freddie to behave
("You Want to Lose Your Only Friend"), but he runs out.
"One Night in Bangkok" is his
simplistic way of ignoring his problems. Florence meets
Anatoly at the restaurant,
and her initial nerves give way to a strong attraction
to the Soviet player
("Terrance Duet"/"Who'd Ever Think"), intercut with the
American Queen and Russian
King joined in a pas de deux. The match progresses ("So
You Got What You Want"/
"Nobody's Side") but Florence and Freddie do not.
Anatoly's defection in the parking
garage leads into "Anthem."
The second act opens in a Budapest church as
Florence seeks her roots and her state of
mind ("Heaven Help My Heart"). The dual bedrooms
serve again for "You and I" with
Florence and Anatoly's refrain segueing smoothly
into the more bittersweet version
for him and Svetlana. Molokov's pressure on Anatoly
is more restrained than in New
York, allowing Anatoly to seem stronger, and his
acceptance of the situation more
realistic. However, Molokov and Walter are up to
their old tricks in "Let's Work
Together." Florence and Svetlana express regret in
"I Know Him So Well," while
Freddie wonders what will happen to him in "Pity the
Child." "Endgame" begins with
the two chess queens crowning and robing the kings
as the chorus intones the anthem
of chess champions' names. Anatoly's decision to
lose seems well-thought out and
a strength rather than a weakness. Freddie is
completely aware that he's being
allowed to win and the hollowness of this victory is
very moving. At the airport,
Anatoly wrenches himself from Florence's arms ("You
and I"). After Walter tells
Florence they're really exchanging Anatoly for an
American spy and not her father, s
he collapses but then a friend of Anatoly's comes in
with a package. He says
Anatoly thought there was dirty work going on and
took action of his own. She
opens the parcel to find the companion amulet to
hers. The friend brings in her
father, saying "Anatoly believes the players should
always be more important than
the game." The chorus hums "Apukad," as Florence and
her father embrace, then
segue into the last verse of "Anthem."
Commentary
Sacramento Music Circus
Long Beach Civic Light Opera
Boulder Dinner Theatre
© 1991, 2018 - Sylvia
Stoddard
