31st. March - 4th. April 2009
at the Winston Churchill Hall
“Chess” started life as a concept album, realeased in 1984. With lyrics by Tim Rice and music composed by Abba’s Bjorn Alvaeus and Benny Andersson, the album was a critical and financial success, which virtually guaranteed the appearance of a theatrical version. This premiered in London’s West End and ran for three years, but the production was considerably altered for the American audience, and was less successful when it opened on Broadway in 1988.
Back in the 1980s chess tournaments were big news, and the world of international chess was full of equally big household names. It made good business sense to hype up every major tournament as an East/West conflict, and the Grand Masters competing at the highest level nearly always came from the Soviet Union or the USA.
The story of “Chess” involves a romantic triangle between two major chess players, one American and one Russian, and the woman who manages the former but falls in love with the latter. Although the two Grand Masters are fictional characters, they were closely based on the personalities of two chess giants from the 1980s, the USSR’s Victor Korchnoi, and the USA’s Bobby Fischer.
The programme introduction to Ruislip Operatic’s production of “Chess” describes the musical as a challenging and complex work. That it certainly is, but the ROS performers rose to the occasion brilliantly. This musical is not just about learning straightforward songs and memorising the words that link them, because even the dialogue is sung to an intricate musical accompaniment. To add to the challenge, many of the songs must have been a nightmare to learn, with sudden changes of pace and pitch, not to mention the need at times to pack in quite so many words. Impressively, I did not see any performer stumble once.
Frederick, the American player, was played by Andrew Sonden, who effectively conveyed the character’s anti-Communist leanings, brashness and inner torment. His entry from the rear of the theatre was highly dramatic, and his powerful vocal contribution to the song “Merano” was just the first of many that Andrew sang so well. Opposing him, as the Russian Anatoly, was Carl Quaif, who also gave a memorable performance as a character who lived only to play chess, and not to be a pawn in some anti-capitalist Soviet game. I have seen Carl perform in several shows, but here he was at his best, eliciting sympathy from the audience, while acting and singing superbly. He too had many memorable numbers, but my own favourite was his duet, “You and I”, sung with Caroline Clark.
Caroline Clark played Florence, a Hungarian refugee who had worked her way up in the USA, and was now Frederick’s manager/lover, until her whirlwind romance with Anatoly led to his defection to the West. Caroline has a wonderful voice, and for me every song she sang was a highlight. She put everything she had into her performance, and by the end of the show’s closing number, “Epilogue”, which she delivered with tear-jerking passion, she must have been exhausted!
Polished performances came from the supporting principals. The excellent Jevan Morris was outstandingly Soviet as Molokov, Anatoly’s manager and KGB agent, and to provide political balance, an equally strong performance came from Paul Hunter, as Walter, the devious American promoter. Susan Maycraft cut a sympathetic character as Svetlana, Anatoly’s deserted wife, while linking the chess action. The outstanding quality of the whole show was established from the outset, when the Arbiter, stylishly played by Simon Wilson, set the scene. The ROS chorus also spent a lot of time on stage, performing to their customary high standard. Their rendition of the “Anthem” which ended the first half, and their unaccompanied opening to the song “End Game”, were both spine-tingling moments.
I must congratulate Ruislip Operatic Society on this production. So much work must have gone into it, but how gratifying it must have been for them that it all came together so effectively. ROS are always on the lookout for new members, and for sponsors, so if you would like to know more, go to their website: www.ruislipos.org
Frank Long
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