DC-area’s Signature Theatre has greatly revised and revitalized the ABBA 1980s musical “Chess”, by focusing on the war between the sexes instead of the Cold War.
The war between the sexes -- like the show’s forbidden love triangle -- is eternal, while the Cold War and its chess super-rivalries are not just past, but seem passé. Hard to believe, for anyone who lived through those "evil empire" days.
This new version is filled with unrelenting high-intensity passion, thanks to extensive reworking by director Eric Schaeffer, and to the show's captivating leads from Broadway and London’s West End.
It's so popular that Signature extended the run one week through October 3. “It’s wonderful to see packed houses rockin’ out to this amazing score and breathtaking performances night after night," Schaeffer said. "We’ve been breaking box office records and wanted to give more people the opportunity to experience this special theatrical event.”
In this production, strategies of the US and Soviet chess rivals center more on their bitter battle for Florence. She defects from the American master Freddie to the married Soviet master Anatoly.
The current point-counterpoint is more within the dialogue and songs than within the game of chess itself and within Soviet-US war games. That's a shrewd departure from the original 1986 show in London, and the 1988 version that flopped on Broadway but earned a Tony nomination.
Based on a concept by its lyricist Tim Rice (“The Lion King”, "Evita", “Jesus Christ Superstar”), with book by Richard Nelson, the songs were composed by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (“Mamma Mia!”).
New orchestrations and music supervision are by David Holcenberg, an expert on Ulvaeus's and Andersson’s musical theatre work.
Pop rock, thumping hard rock, disco – you name it in 1980s genres, and this musical’s got it.
And the leads certainly do too.
• Jill Paice (“Curtains”) as the elegant, intelligent, intense Florence who'd fled as a child to the US from Hungary during the 1956 Communist invasion;
• Euan Morton (“Sondheim on Sondheim”, and Boy George in “Taboo”) as the poignant Soviet chess master Anatoly, torn between love for Florence, and loyalty to family threatened back in the USSR;
• Jeremy Kushnier (“Rent”, “Footloose”), as the abusive Freddie Trumper, the US chess champ channeling Bobby Fischer. Kushnier is every bit the bad boy rocker that Fischer was the bad boy chess grandmaster. Kushnier trumps in “One Night in Bangkok” and “Pity the Child”.
The 10-piece orchestra backed them far better than the chorus did. Chorus members alternatively stomp-marched, pole-danced, or, well … they’re no dancing queens.
Even non-ABBA fans will be moved by the touching “I Know Him So Well”; the rousing “One Night in Bangkok”; "Nobody's on Nobody's Side"; and “Pity the Child”.
'Tis a pity that “Pity” comes near the end. Had "Pity" come earlier in the show, the audience could have felt some empathy for Freddie. He personifies the male chauvinist pig who oinks loudly and perpetually.
The chessboard scenic design by Daniel Conway, and especially the lighting design by Chris Lee enliven the production. However, the split-screen, TV-like videos and photos were overdone, deflecting attention instead of enhancing it.
And speaking of overdone, the would-be tear-jerking ending was unworthy of this fresh version.
But overall, the production demonstrates anew how the Signature, and its grandmaster Schaeffer, won the Regional Theatre Tony Award® last year.
“Chess”, in its first DC-area run, is at the Signature through September 26.
For more info and tickets: Signature Theatre, www.signature-theatre.org, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA, box office 703-820-9771 or Ticketmaster 703- 573-SEAT.
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