A superb cast of West End stars including James Fox (Fame Academy, Jesus Christ Superstar), Shona White (Wicked), Daniel Koek (West Side Story), Poppy Tierney (Mary Poppins, Aspects of Love, The Witches of Eastwick), James Graeme (The Phantom of the Opera) and David Erik (Dirty Dancing, The Phantom of the Opera) lead a cast of 30 actors and musicians in this unmissable production. Read more …
Written by Tim Rice and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Chess has one of the greatest musical theatre scores of all time including One Night In Bangkok, Pity The Child, Anthem, You And I and, of course, I Know Him So Well.
Two of the world's greatest chess masters battle it out at the world chess championships but their greatest contest is for the love of one woman. Amidst political intrigue and international conspiracies, the American and the Russian fight to win the heart of Florence Vassy in a romantic triangle that mirrors the heightened passions of the Cold War all set to an explosive score by the composers of Mamma Mia and the lyricist of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
More about spectacle than coherence, and for the most part it works remarkably well.
As Florence, Shona White knows how to belt out a power ballad, and beyond the hits, her rendition of Nobody’s on Nobody’s Side is the best thing about a show that’s really just a game of two halves.
Indeed, the production could do with a few quieter moments to allow the plight of the main characters to resonate more with the audience. However, this is a spectacular and impressive new version of the show.
It's definitely worth taking up Horwood's challenge for a night, if you're game that is.
There's a huge market for this kind of showy tosh; but in the end, it's just theatrical junk food, full of superficial flavours and bright colours, signifying almost nothing.
Craig Revel Horwood’s reinterpretation of Chess is outstanding, a visually stunning and emotionally striking piece of theatre. Its next move is surely to the West End.
Even a great cast can’t make a bad show good.
Ultimately the show comes across as a triumph of style over substance.
He's the grand master of the dance
Playhouse, Edinburgh from Tuesday September 21, 2010, until Saturday September 25, 2010. More info: www.edinburgh-playhouse.co.uk
His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen from Tuesday October 5, 2010, until Saturday October 9, 2010. More info: www.hmtaberdeen.com
King's Theatre, Glasgow from Tuesday April 5, 2011, until Saturday April 9, 2011. More info: www.theambassadors.com/kings/
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