Chess

[Brian]

^I am looking forward to it but I agree that the apparent disorganization 8 weeks before it opens doesn’t exactly inspire confidence! Fingers crossed it will all come together.

[ali973]

I also remember going WTH when he said the exact format hasn't been finalized. How are these people getting a production off the ground when there's no plan or format? Most of these things are developed well before it should even be cast.

[distantcousin]

Feb 26, 2018 9:44:02 GMT karloscar said:

Benny wants to include He is a Man, He is a Child apparently, in which case Florence would get back Someone Else's Story in Act One. (Or it gets cut completely!!!)

Tim Rice has stated on twitter his intention to use the Svetlana lyrics for Someone Else's Story. The ones created for the original Sydney production. It would make sense to give a name like La Burke two songs....

[wickedgrin]

I have booked a £15 balcony ticket for this - love the score. Looking at the ENO website today - the first time I have done this since the casting was announced - I would say the box office has hardly been set alight! Still HUGE availability for a show which opens in 8 weeks. I would think there will be lots of deals and offers for this nearer the time. Otherwise Ms Ball and Burke are going to be playing to lots of empty seats!

[Deleted]

^ Well it won’t be the first time Michael’s sung about empty chairs... 

[Sue]

I love this score and so wanted the casting to be good enough to warrant the trip to London but given the recent casting news, I'll happily stick with watching and listening to the Swedish production on YouTube! Helen Sjoholm as Florence was phenomenal and wish I'd been able to see that live. I love the staging and her performance for 'Nobody's Side'.

[Brian]

I'm just curious; is Cassidy Janson not considered a good choice for Florence? I didn't see her in 'Beautiful' but she has an incredible voice and her profile has been raised since she joined Leading Ladies. Apparently she was the understudy Elphaba at one point too?

It seems like there was chatter for 'A' listers to join the cast months back, in which case I can somewhat understand the disappointment expressed from some quarters but from what I know of the cast, they are all competent and accomplished performers (Alexandra has least experience in a musical theatre setting obviously).

[TallPaul]

Please, someone order a taxi, quickly!

[Deleted]

^ D'ya wannit right now guv'nor? Lemme jus' check, mate...

[wickedgrin]

Feb 27, 2018 13:12:11 GMT @theatremonkey said:

Feb 26, 2018 18:41:31 GMT wickedgrin said:

I would say the box office has hardly been set alight

They need more cheques, mate.

Cheques are so last century though - I think bank transfers is what they're after!

[Deleted]

Feb 27, 2018 9:40:20 GMT Sue said:

I love this score and so wanted the casting to be good enough to warrant the trip to London but given the recent casting news, I'll happily stick with watching and listening to the Swedish production on YouTube! Helen Sjoholm as Florence was phenomenal and wish I'd been able to see that live. I love the staging and her performance for 'Nobody's Side'.

I ❤️ Helen Sjöholm

The late, incredibly great, Josefin Nilsson was also sublime as Svetlana in that production.

Not from the production itself but a live performance from Swedish show 'Allsång på Skansen' just shows how glorious they were.

[Scswp]

^^^
Lovely performance. Unusual that Svetlana sings the ‘lead’
part (ie, traditionally, Florence’s part). Was this how it was in the Sjoholm production? An interesting switch here.

[sf]

Feb 27, 2018 17:16:48 GMT Scswp said:

^^^
Lovely performance. Unusual that Svetlana sings the ‘lead’
part (ie, traditionally, Florence’s part). Was this how it was in the Sjoholm production? An interesting switch here.

Yes, that's how it was in the Stockholm production.

[wickedgrin]

I wonder if they will do that in London to give La Burke more to justify her star billing?

[karloscar]

The Swedish lyric is a bit more competitive than the original. I Know What He Wants ( and it's not you) is how it translates.

[distantcousin]

Feb 27, 2018 19:29:24 GMT wickedgrin said:

I wonder if they will do that in London to give La Burke more to justify her star billing?

Well, there's already talk of her singing Someone Else's Story AND He Is A Man, He Is a Child. 

[theatreian]

Well at least that will equal out the singing somewhat. Cassidy will get her Mountain Duet and Nobody's Side amongst others.

[Deleted]

Feb 27, 2018 19:29:24 GMT wickedgrin said:

I wonder if they will do that in London to give La Burke more to justify her star billing?

I totally missed that Burke was playing Svetlana. I naively assumed she was playing the Idina part! 

[Scswp]

Feb 28, 2018 22:15:55 GMT theatreian said:

Well at least that will equal out the singing somewhat. Cassidy will get her Mountain Duet and Nobody's Side amongst others.

To some extent, yes - though Florence is still a far bigger role. If they are ‘beefing’ out the role of Svetlana, that is fine so long as it serves the structure and plot (it keeps being insisted that the ideal structure is still be striven for), but if they’re increasing Svetlana’s role simply because it’s being played by a celebrity, then that’s slightly worrying. That reasoning does not serve the plot at all and may be counter-productive. Chess is already a long musical and that is what we are paying to see - ‘Chess’ (hopefully, with the long-awaited improvements in driving the plot); we are not paying to see Alexandra Burke provide additional length to an already-long show. We shall see - I hope her additions improve the show itself.

[karloscar]

Svetlana doesn't need two songs describing how dissatisfied she is with her life no matter who is playing the role.

[distantcousin]

True, and they may decide one song has to go.

[theatreian]

Well we will have to wait and see.It would be a pity though if all Alexandra had was one and a half songs.

[Deleted]

Mar 1, 2018 8:37:30 GMT theatreian said:

Well we will have to wait and see.It would be a pity though if all Alexandra had was one and a half songs.

I agree. I'd pity the child...

[Deleted]

Mar 1, 2018 6:32:37 GMT Scswp said:

Feb 28, 2018 22:15:55 GMT theatreian said:

Well at least that will equal out the singing somewhat. Cassidy will get her Mountain Duet and Nobody's Side amongst others.

To some extent, yes - though Florence is still a far bigger role. If they are ‘beefing’ out the role of Svetlana, that is fine so long as it serves the structure and plot (it keeps being insisted that the ideal structure is still be striven for), but if they’re increasing Svetlana’s role simply because it’s being played by a celebrity, then that’s slightly worrying. That reasoning does not serve the plot at all and may be counter-productive. Chess is already a long musical and that is what we are paying to see - ‘Chess’ (hopefully, with the long-awaited improvements in driving the plot); we are not paying to see Alexandra Burke provide additional length to an already-long show. We shall see - I hope her additions improve the show itself.

You say "we", but some people undoubtedly will be paying to see Alexandra Burke in this, so from that perspective beefing up her role a bit makes perfect sense.

Don't assume everyone who books this is a theatre purist - Burke will have been cast at least partly to sell tickets to her fans and off the back of her raising her profile again on Strictly.

[Deleted]

Mar 1, 2018 8:49:22 GMT @caiaphas said:

Mar 1, 2018 8:37:30 GMT theatreian said:

Well we will have to wait and see.It would be a pity though if all Alexandra had was one and a half songs.

I agree. I'd pity the child...

I'd pity the audience more. 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they gave Svetlana a quickstep or a cha-cha-cha to please the Burke fans. Still, if it stops her from singing . . .