THIS IS THE NEWS PAGE AS IT EXISTED IN 2001
PURPOSE OF THIS SITE
This site was always intended as a reference site, a chronicle of the
major productions of Chess.
There have been no major "class A" (in Actors Equity's terms)
productions of the show since this site was launched. With the impending
major revival, productions are on the wane, but check
Chess: The Musical for the latest on upcoming productions. When
the anticipated Broadway revival is a reality, when new CDs come out and
when new concert versions are staged, this website will cover them.
WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEBSITE
16 February 2001
A new version of the original London production of Chess is
currently in early pre-production to premiere in Stockholm in 2002.
Tentative opening date is 23 March.
Rumors are flying that the three leads will be played by Helen
Sjöholm, Peter Jöback (stars of Benny Andersson and Björn
Ulvaeus's Kristina) and Tommy Körberg. The director
working with the creators of Chess is also a Kristina
veteran, Lars Rudolfsson, who is also working on the translation
with Bjorn. Projected budget is £2 million. The book of the
show is currently undergoing major revisions, 1-3 new songs are
possible, and the show will be performed for the first time in
Swedish.
In additional news, there is a slight possibility of a one-off
Chess concert at Albert Hall sometime this year. One can only
hope for a reunion of the original actors who created the roles 15
years ago.
Chess opens tonight at the Diamond Head Theatre in Honolulu,
Hawaii. Andrew Sakaguchi is directing and it stars Jade Stice as
Florence and Matthew Pedersen as Freddie. This theatre has done most
of the Tim Rice shows and is a very professional venue. Report will
follow.
28 October 2000
Sorry for all the downtime on this site. My web host was sold to
Yahoo, who decided to charge me more than 1000% more for the
space than simplenet. The transition to my new web host has been
difficult and took much longer than anticipated. As I am in the
process of uploading every single one of thousands of files,
please be patient. The site will be back as soon as possible. I
am also in the middle of moving, which makes all this even more
difficult.
18 June 2000
The big news is there is a production of Chess coming
to the Diamond Head Theatre in Honolulu next February!
Amazing that Waikiki--2400 miles from anywhere-- would be
the site of one of the last licensed productions before the
revised London version takes over. Well, we get
everything late here!
The official ABBA page has announced the tentative schedule
for the tour of Mamma Mia! after it leaves Toronto:
14 November 2000 at the Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco; late
winter at the Shubert Theatre, Los Angeles; May 2001 at
Chicago's Cadillac Theatre followed by Boston and New York
(at the Winter Garden).
Tim Rice just finished a month emceeing a revue of his music
in Australia, where his book has also just been released in
paperback. No news on the Chess revival except that
in a Toronto interview, Bjorn Ulvaeus said the tour would
start in Los Angeles, then San Francisco, and noted that it
was a relief to have it be a period piece now, about a time
when Russians defected and the War was Cold.
The Links page has been updated with new sites, new looks
and updated URLs.
23 February 2000
Tim Rice has authorized the publication of the
following information about the major Chess
revival. "A major new production of Chess is
scheduled for late 2000/early 2001, with a lengthy
US tour leading to Broadway. This production will be
new to North American theatregoers, consisting of
the hit London production's never-recorded complete
score with minor modifications and a book revised
from the same version. The show is currently being
worked on by original creators Benny Andersson, Tim
Rice and Björn Ulvaeus, who plan to delete "The
Merchandiser's Song" and add a new first act song
for Anatoly. The revised story will be set in 1984,
and compared to the show seen at the Prince Edward
Theatre from 1986-88, will now focus more intently
on the Russian challenger, Anatoly Sergievsky. The
character of his wife, Svetlana, will be expanded
and she will sing the much-acclaimed song, "Someone
Else's Story"--written for the character of Florence
in the Broadway version.
American audiences will hear, for the first time,
songs cut before Broadway, such as "Embassy Lament,"
"Merano," and "Soviet Machine." "Endgame" and "U.S.
vs. U.S.S.R." will have their original lyrics
restored. "The Arbiter's Song," cut shortly after
the Broadway opening, will also be in the new
production.
The first act will take place in Moscow and Merano,
Italy, the second act in Bangkok. No cast or
director has been chosen. The London set's massive
"vidiwalls" and huge revolving and tilting
chessboard stage are gone and this new production
will be done on a simpler, more intimate scale, not
unlike the current hit revival of "Chicago."
This US premiere of the West End show will mark the
end of the multiple versions of Chess,
permanently retiring the dramatically different
Richard Nelson and Richard Coe versions
which played on Broadway and the American Tour.
Productions with bits from London,
Broadway, the American Tour, Sydney, Chicago and the
British Tour have been playing in
the US since 1989. The aim of the new production is
to create a "definitive" version
of the musical, which will then be the only version
performed worldwide.
The show will have a 40-week tryout in 8 cities
prior to Broadway."
On the website, I've been trying to fix some of the
photos which refuse to appear, and some broken
links. Please be patient. It's a big site and when
you have photos of Anthem from 6 productions,
titling files can get a little strange. Thanks to
all who've notified me of broken links. I'm also
trying to find reliable sources of the available
Chess CDs and will post them next to the
sections where they're highlighted (the Concept
Album, Broadway and Variations sections).
11 January 2000
At last! Updates! A section on the souvenirs and
promotions for the Broadway production
has been added as well as the lengthy Vanity
Fair article about the rocky road to
the Broadway opening. Both can be accessed from
the Broadway page. Additionally, a
song added for one preview performance and then
cut ("East/West") is now included in its
proper place near the end of the second act.
Many thanks to Tim Rice, who unearthed the
lyrics.
To anyone who has e-mailed me
in the last 6 months and hasn't received an
answer to a question or a comment, please
re-send your e-mail. My computer has been down
or inaccessible for a great deal of the time and
aol has an irritating habit of dumping unread
e-mails after two weeks.
22 November 1999
The move across 2400 miles of the Pacific is
at last completed. The unpacking isn't.
So anyone awaiting tapes or the like, I
still have to sort things out. The weather
here
is gorgeous and I see a rainbow nearly every
day. "Never waste a hot afternoon" is
fitting here.
The Original London Cast recording of
Mamma Mia! is now available through
amazon
uk's site (as well as others).
The following news item appeared recently on
Playbill's online site and I can
confirm it is, indeed true. Rice has
finished the outline, though he has not
begun
work on the script. His focus has been to
clarify relationships and motivations of
the characters. The article:
Chess to Make "Probable" Return to
Broadway in 2000-01
by Christine Ehren
08-NOV-99
Fans of the cult musical Chess have
reason to rejoice. Lyricist Tim Rice is
working on bringing the rock opera back to
Broadway for a "probable" fall-winter
opening in the 2000-2001 season.
According to a production spokesperson at
Rice's Heartaches company in London, Rice
has completed some alterations on the piece
with one of the composers, Björn
Ulvaeus, and is in talks with the Shubert
Organization to bring the musical back to
New York. Should the Broadway production be
a hit this second time around, Chess
will also tour again following the New York
opening.
After an original success in London,
Chess, a Cold War story of love and
betrayal set against a Russian versus
American chess match, opened on Broadway at
the Imperial Theatre on April 28, 1988. It
closed June 25 that same year after trouble
between its director Trevor Nunn and
lyricist Tim Rice (Aida,
Evita) and critical pans. Subsequent
revivals and concert versions have been done
since, often changing the plotting, cutting
parts off the book, rearranging and
reassigning the songs. Since its first
incarnation as a "concept album" in 1984,
Chess has obtained cult status,
rivaling perhaps only Carrie in obsessive
fans.
Written by Rice and ABBA's songwriting team,
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus,
Chess includes 'One Night in
Bangkok,' 'Heaven Help My Heart,' 'I Know
Him So Well,' 'Pity the Child' and 'Anthem.'
Chess would mark a second ABBA
project planned for Broadway's 2000-2001
season. The musical Mamma Mia!,
featuring some of the Swedish group's
greatest hits, may also land on the Great
White Way that season.
10 September 1999
Not new on the website, but new, period, the
long-awaited Tim Rice autobiography was
officially launched in London on 7
September, and you can buy it right now for
shipping in 48 hours. It's a superb book,
full of great information about Joseph,
Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita. No
Chess just yet, though there are
references to it, that's for volume 2. But
it's a delighful insight into the man, his
view of his profession, his life and the way
he thinks.
Follow the Internet Bookshop/WH Smith link
to purchase the book, which is (for now)
only available in Europe. The hardback is
£15.19, the eventual paperback will be
£7.19 and the audiobook (not yet
completed) will be £6.12. Oddly, though
the book's title is "Oh, What a Circus," the
Internet Bookshop has it listed as "To Put
it Mildly," but it's the right book. This is
the very best way to experience the charm,
wide-ranging interests, wit and intelligence
of the man who wrote Chess. If
everyone buys it, the publishers will want
to do the next volume which should have all
the Chess stuff in it, which is what
we all want, right?
Just back from London for the book
launch, and AFTER you buy Tim's
book, start saving your money,
Mamma Mia! is a smash! For
those who don't know, this is a new
musical with a story created around
the greatest hits of ABBA.
It stars the divine Siobhan
McCarthy, who created the roles of
both the Mistress in Evita
and Svetlana in Chess as well
as going on to play Florence in
London.
The musical's story is about Donna
Sheridan, who runs a taverna on a
tiny Greek isle and whose daughter
is about to marry. Contrary to
Donna's wishes (Donna's a feminist
and proud single mother), her
daughter Sophia plans a "white"
wedding). In for the nuptuals are
Donna's two best friends and members
of her 70s rock group, Donna and the
Dynamos. The acting, book, singing,
direction, staging and set are all
excellent and the show is a smash
hit in London, virtually sold out
until January. Click on the
program's cover for a link to the
show's official site, which has
great photos, reviews, bios, and
ticket information.
18 August 1999
The long-elusive RCA promotional
item, the Chess Memo
Cube, makes its appearance on
the Concept Album page, and
follow the "Souvenirs" link on
the London page to see many of
the items once available at the
Prince Edward Theatre.
16 July 1999
A brief lull (due to
exhaustion!) in the
disposing of decades of junk
as well as packing and
organizing has allowed me to
do some housekeeping on the
site. Some broken links have
been fixed, others updated,
and general clean-up of
missing umlauts and typos
has been done. I hope to
shortly add souvenir pages
to each production's section
with photos and descriptions
of most items sold or used
as promotional material at
the time. One day, probably
after my move in October,
real audio sound will be
added, especially for songs
or productions never
recorded.
23 February
1999
Again, sorry for the
absence. The author of
this website will be
relocating in the fall
and has been out of town
a good bit since the
last update. The big
news (from our point of
view) this month is the
receipt of a new CD from
France (see Concept
Album pages) which uses
our opening page
graphics as its cover.
While flattering, we
wish we'd been asked.
The CD is NOT affiliated
with this website and
its author had nothing
whatever to do with its
release. Another CD has
been released in Sweden,
of the Concept Album
concert there in 1984.
10 November
1998
Sorry for the
absence--a computer
crash and two trips
out of state are
responsible. Please
note Jamie Rocco's
Wichita production
of our favorite
show. Only a few
more days. Get thee
to the theatre!
24 September
1998
The new fully
staged
Wellington, New
Zealand
production is up
and a smash hit.
Read review and
interviews with
cast members
from the link on
the London
page.
13
September
1998
NEW! We now
have a
mailing list
and a
message
board! The
links are on
the opening
page.
20
August
1998
The full
cast has
been
added
for the
Toronto
Chess
in
Concert
on the
Variation
page.
Pages
have
been
added
for the
Blank
Theatre
Co. (Los
Angeles)
and
Rockville
(Maryland)
Music
Theatre
productions
of
Chess,
with
casts,
production
credits
and
photos.
14
August
1998
Chess:
The
Story
of
the
Musical
has
moved!
If
you
haven't
bookmarked
the
new
location,
here
it
is
again:
/Chess
As
reconstructing
and
uploading
nearly
a
thousand
files
twice
in
one
week
was
a
mind-numbing
task,
there
may
be
some
glitches.
If
you
spot
a
missing
photo,
a
lyric
in
the
wrong
place,
a
dead
link
or
a
photo
that
looks
like
something
from
a
funhouse
mirror,
I
would
greatly
appreciate
it
if
you
would
let
me
know.
Thanks.
A
Site
Map
has
been
added
to
aid
in
your
negotiation
of
this
ever-growing
website.
A
message
board
will
be
coming
soon.
5 August
1998
The
New
Zealand
production
(click
on
it
at
bottom
of
the
main
London
page)
has
been
expanded
with
more
photos,
cast
bios
and
complete
credits.
I
am
working
on
a
site
index
page
so
you
can
click
on
any
specific
production
without
knowing
which
version's
book
it
used.
This
should
be
up
shortly
and
will
be
accessible
from
the
main
opening
page.
31
July
1998
The
Concept
Album
page
has
been
completely
re-done,
with
as
complete
information
as
possible
for
collectors
about
Chess
recordings.
A
lengthy
interview
given
by
Benny
Anderson
and
Björn
Ulvaeus
about
their
experiences
writing
and
producing
Chess
has
been
reprinted
from
the
British
Tour
programme
and
can
be
found
by
going
to
the
bottom
of
the
"London"
page,
clicking
on
"British
Tour,"
then
clicking
on
the
link
at
the
bottom
of
that
page.
30
July
1998
The
Auckland,
New
Zealand
production
has
been
moved
from
"Variations"
to
"London"
as
it
was
billed
as
a
concert
version
but
was
a
fully-acted
production
of
the
London
book
and
song
order.
It
had
complete
production
numbers
and,
other
than
its
single,
abstract
set,
should
be
considered
a
full
production.
This
is
the
version
which
was
staged
in
February
1998
in
Melbourne,
starring
Barbara
Dickson.
The
Broadway
and
Chicago
scripts
have
been
typed
into
the
computer
and
anyone
who
would
like
them
should
contact
this
website's
author.
26
July
1998
The
often-mentioned
New
York
Off-Broadway
production
by
The
Actor's
Perspective
has
been
added,
along
with
Tim
Rice's
program
note
which
is
often
mis-quoted.
This
production
is
perceived
quite
differently
than
what
it
was
meant
to
be--a
vastly
scaled-down
version
of
the
London
production,
suitable
for
a
company
of
just
fourteen
actors
(find
it
at
the
bottom
of
the
London
main
page).
The
1992
Canadian
concert,
Danish
concert
(Variations
section)
and
the
Irish
premiere
(London
section)
have
also
been
added.
The
Guestbook
has
grown
and
I
thank
all
of
you
for
your
wonderful
and
inspiring
comments
and
support.
2 July
1998
Though
there
is
a
certain
fascination
in
reading
the
reviews
of
a
flop
(the
Broadway
production--see
below),
the
literate
London
critics
had
many
interesting
things
to
say
about
the
original
production.
All
the
London
reviews
have
been
added,
including
a
fascinating
story
of
life
imitating
art
(check
after
the
first
London
Times
review)
and
Tim
Rice's
vindication
regarding
the
plot
of
the
show.
29
June
1998
The
entire
Broadway
section
has
been
cleaned
up,
missing
lyrics
and
photos
added
and
some
minor
revisions
made.
In
addition,
reviews
from
all
the
major
print
and
television
critics
have
been
added.
Click
on
Reviews
at
the
bottom
of
the
Broadway
page.
24
June
1998
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