Chess

[Scswp]

Apr 30, 2018 23:09:26 GMT @tbfl said:

I really loved this tonight! I thought it was great.

Ok, the sound/diction for the large group numbers were a mess and even knowing the score well didn't help decipher what they were singing, but for  the main scenes/songs, the sound was excellent. Really good use of the screens at the sides and thankfully the audio and visual were in synch. Excellent set design and lighting.

I thought the 4 leads were all great, and i don't understand the bashing of Alexandra Burke. I thought she was fantastic vocally. Yes she might not act the songs enough, but she definitely gets it across well. I really liked the new song for Svetlana at the top of Act 2.Would i pay to see Alexandra play Florence? Yep! Michael Ball was back to form, none of his cabaret nonsense and mannerisms, but it must be said, he's also not the greatest actor. Cassidy Jensen was very good, but she didnt blow me away and Tim Howar definitely has the chops for Freddie. The women's roles are very underwritten and there's no real introduction to either of them in the show.

The orchestra sounded glorious, as were the extra chorus brought in for the second half.

The biggest applause was for I Know Him So Well, but me for the best number was The Deal. It's always been one of my favourite songs in the score and in this production it had an amazing sound and fantastic guitar riffs, and a great drum beat throughout, something that i felt was missing from Nobody's Side. I only wish there was a pause for applause for it, before it goes into Pity The Child. On the Danish Tour recording, at the very end, after You and I, there's a finale, with Florence singing a reprise of Anthem, and to me that was a better ending than just You and I.

Maybe it's because my expectations were lowered by people on here, or maybe because i only paid £22 instead of £65, but i thought was great and i'll definitely be going again before it ends.

I agree about ending with a reprise of ‘Anthem’ - a much better ending. It’s a pity they haven’t included this. I would imagine with just ‘You and I’ at the end, the show just sort of ‘fizzles out’. Most of the versions I’ve seen end with Florence and Company reprising ‘Anthem’ and it always seems to end the show well.

[chess]

May 1, 2018 5:30:43 GMT Scswp said:

Apr 30, 2018 23:09:26 GMT @tbfl said:

I really loved this tonight! I thought it was great.

Ok, the sound/diction for the large group numbers were a mess and even knowing the score well didn't help decipher what they were singing, but for  the main scenes/songs, the sound was excellent. Really good use of the screens at the sides and thankfully the audio and visual were in synch. Excellent set design and lighting.

I thought the 4 leads were all great, and i don't understand the bashing of Alexandra Burke. I thought she was fantastic vocally. Yes she might not act the songs enough, but she definitely gets it across well. I really liked the new song for Svetlana at the top of Act 2.Would i pay to see Alexandra play Florence? Yep! Michael Ball was back to form, none of his cabaret nonsense and mannerisms, but it must be said, he's also not the greatest actor. Cassidy Jensen was very good, but she didnt blow me away and Tim Howar definitely has the chops for Freddie. The women's roles are very underwritten and there's no real introduction to either of them in the show.

The orchestra sounded glorious, as were the extra chorus brought in for the second half.

The biggest applause was for I Know Him So Well, but me for the best number was The Deal. It's always been one of my favourite songs in the score and in this production it had an amazing sound and fantastic guitar riffs, and a great drum beat throughout, something that i felt was missing from Nobody's Side. I only wish there was a pause for applause for it, before it goes into Pity The Child. On the Danish Tour recording, at the very end, after You and I, there's a finale, with Florence singing a reprise of Anthem, and to me that was a better ending than just You and I.

Maybe it's because my expectations were lowered by people on here, or maybe because i only paid £22 instead of £65, but i thought was great and i'll definitely be going again before it ends.

I agree about ending with a reprise of ‘Anthem’ - a much better ending. It’s a pity they haven’t included this. I would imagine with just ‘You and I’ at the end, the show just sort of ‘fizzles out’. Most of the versions I’ve seen end with Florence and Company reprising ‘Anthem’ and it always seems to end the show well.

One of the things I like most about this version is the ending. That is very well done!

[sandman]

I was there last night. Had great seats in the front stalls which I booked before the cast announcement... and I’m glad I did. I wasn’t expecting much but I loved it. It’s the fifth time I’ve seen Chess on stage (including the RAH concert with Josh Groban) and it was probably my favourite.

Thought the cast were (mostly) less stellar than I’ve seen but their voices were so melodic and blended beautifully. Probably the best sung production of Chess I’ve seen.

Michael Ball blew me away. Sure there’s a good portion of ham in his performance at times but vocally he was on top form. Those big notes in Endgame were just incredible.

Staging worked for me. I thought it was really cleverly done. Liked the 80s Top of the Pops vibe of the screens.

Thought Cassidy was well cast. Tim Howar was probably the most solid Freddy I’ve seen too. I didn’t hate Alexandra either.

I too missed the Anthem reprise. That has always been a highlight but the You and I ending was gorgeous last night so I could forgive it.

I left on such a high and want to see it again now!!

[alece10]

Right I am in the land of the living now so can report on last night at Chess.
Honestly this is one of the best things I have seen in a very long time.
5th row of the stalls and a fantastic view and Benny Anderson sitting 6 seats away from me. Quite surreal in a way.
Firstly I have seen Chess twice before, once with the original London cast back in the 80s however my memory wont let me remember too much about it although I know I really did enjoy it, then the ill fated 25th Anniversary concert at the RAH, less said about that the better and now this version which was definitely the best.
I was expecting semi staged but I would call it fully staged with amazing lighting and visuals. Boy those cameras get up very close and what must be in full HD.
Orchestra were wonderful and its so great to be able to hear these big scores with massive orchestras. Great chorus which really gave their numbers power. Yes agree with other comments that it was a bit hard to hear them on occasions but I think that was diction rather then sound issues. I didn't have any issue with the sound at all.
And the leads were on top form. I only really knew Michael Ball, Cassidy Jansen and Alexandra Burke but all the leads were excellent. You cant go wrong with Mr Ball who gives his all and Anthem gave me goose bumps as always. I have to say Alexandra Burke did a stellar performance and sang her heart out.
The use of the screens and cameras was genius and it must play to its full advantage for those in the upper circle and balcony who would not normally be able to see the facial expressions of the cast and Cassidy crying at the end...
Both my friend and I immediately said that we want to go back and see it again so thankfully its pay day.

On a different note we sat next to a really interesting young man from Uzbekistan who told us he was a stage manager and had just done Evita in Moscow and was very excited as he had just spotted Tim Rice in the audience during the interval.

[sandman]

May 1, 2018 10:37:35 GMT alece10 said:

Right I am in the land of the living now so can report on last night at Chess.
Honestly this is one of the best things I have seen in a very long time.
5th row of the stalls and a fantastic view and Benny Anderson sitting 6 seats away from me..

Oh wow. I missed Benny. Where was he sitting? We were in C17 & 18... pretty much dead centre. Gutted we missed him.

Totally agree though. One of the most thrilling nights of theatre for awhile.

[showoff]

Wow, so great to hear how much everybody's enjoying it.

I was indifferent before but edging towards dreading it, but now I'm actually really looking forward to it.

[bellboard27]

I was there also last night. Must say that I enjoyed it. The singing was excellent and the sound was good. And the design works really well.

I am not very familiar with this musical, so can someone enlighten me? At one point Freddie Trumper sings a rap, or more precisely one that seemed to be in the style that Wham! did in 1982. I assume that this was in the original and was meant to be taken at face value at the time. However, as soon as he started singing in that style last night, I dissolved into laughter. I'm not sure this was the intended reaction!

[richey]

May 1, 2018 14:54:18 GMT bellboard27 said:

I was there also last night. Must say that I enjoyed it. The singing was excellent and the sound was good. And the design works really well.

I am not very familiar with this musical, so can someone enlighten me? At one point Freddie Trumper sings a rap, or more precisely one that seemed to be in the style that Wham! did in 1982. I assume that this was in the original and was meant to be taken at face value at the time. However, as soon as he started singing in that style last night, I dissolved into laughter. I'm not sure this was the intended reaction!

Do you mean 'One night in Bangkok'?

[bellboard27]

May 1, 2018 14:57:31 GMT richey said:

May 1, 2018 14:54:18 GMT bellboard27 said:

I was there also last night. Must say that I enjoyed it. The singing was excellent and the sound was good. And the design works really well.

I am not very familiar with this musical, so can someone enlighten me? At one point Freddie Trumper sings a rap, or more precisely one that seemed to be in the style that Wham! did in 1982. I assume that this was in the original and was meant to be taken at face value at the time. However, as soon as he started singing in that style last night, I dissolved into laughter. I'm not sure this was the intended reaction!

Do you mean 'One night in Bangkok'?

Yes, you are right. Just checked it out on the old youtube. I had disassociated the rap part from the rest of it. It just went straight at me as a George Michael p*ss take last night! But I enjoyed that!!

[alece10]

May 1, 2018 12:23:18 GMT sandman said:

May 1, 2018 10:37:35 GMT alece10 said:

Right I am in the land of the living now so can report on last night at Chess.
Honestly this is one of the best things I have seen in a very long time.
5th row of the stalls and a fantastic view and Benny Anderson sitting 6 seats away from me..

Oh wow. I missed Benny. Where was he sitting? We were in C17 & 18... pretty much dead centre. Gutted we missed him.

Totally agree though. One of the most thrilling nights of theatre for awhile.

[b


He was sitting in the aisle seat centre block (left aisle as you look at the stage). Quite a few people recognised him at the interval and one woman asked for his autograph but otherwise people were very discreet and left him alone.
He ovated at the end like the rest of us.

[sandman]

May 1, 2018 15:12:15 GMT alece10 said:

He was sitting in the aisle seat centre block (left aisle as you look at the stage).

Thanks for that. Randomly, someone I know sent me a photo of us in the stalls (taken from up in the circle) so I was going to try and pinpoint the top of his head on the photo (like a weirdo). I think he must be cut off the photo though.

[theatreian]

Great to hear all the positive feedback. Am really looking forward to it now , though have to wait another 4 weeks! The RAH Chess concert must come across better on DVD than it did on the night as when I watched it on Saturday I was quite impressed with it.

[Deleted]

May 1, 2018 16:24:18 GMT theatreian said:

Great to hear all the positive feedback. Am really looking forward to it now , though have to wait another 4 weeks! The RAH Chess concert must come across better on DVD than it did on the night as when I watched it on Saturday I was quite impressed with it.

The RAH concert was geared more towards the recording for the DVD because the sound in the hall was atrocious. I couldnt hear a thing from my seat in the circle on the night.

[richey]

May 1, 2018 16:46:35 GMT @tbfl said:

May 1, 2018 16:24:18 GMT theatreian said:

Great to hear all the positive feedback. Am really looking forward to it now , though have to wait another 4 weeks! The RAH Chess concert must come across better on DVD than it did on the night as when I watched it on Saturday I was quite impressed with it.

The RAH concert was geared more towards the recording for the DVD because the sound in the hall was atrocious. I couldnt hear a thing from my seat in the circle on the night.

I was right up in the gods where it was not only swelteringly hot but also impossible to distinguish half of what was sung.

[sandman]

May 1, 2018 16:46:35 GMT @tbfl said:

The RAH concert was geared more towards the recording for the DVD because the sound in the hall was atrocious. I couldnt hear a thing from my seat in the circle on the night.

We were in the stalls for the RAH concert to the left hand side. The sounds was fine down there but we had the camera men CONSTANTLY blocking our view at key points.

I complained after the show and they agreed that it was unacceptable and refunded our ticket price. I think the video production company were completely uninterested in the audience on the night.

[Deleted]

May 1, 2018 18:27:20 GMT richey said:

May 1, 2018 16:46:35 GMT @tbfl said:

The RAH concert was geared more towards the recording for the DVD because the sound in the hall was atrocious. I couldnt hear a thing from my seat in the circle on the night.

I was right up in the gods where it was not only swelteringly hot but also impossible to distinguish half of what was sung.

And I was so excited about the cast that I splashed out on some posh seats right down the front only to find cameramen running back and forth in front of us, non-stop, obscuring our view. 

I agree it sound far better on the CD/DVD than it did on the night.


Edit: just seen the above post. We must have posted at the same time! I complained too. No refund! 

[theatreian]

Will be interesting to read the official reviews after opening night tonight. Hope they are as favourable as the comments so far.

[sandman]

May 1, 2018 18:41:47 GMT @caiaphas said:

We must have posted at the same time! I complained too. No refund! 

That’s frustrating to hear.

The email I received at the time said “ Many thanks for your email. I am sorry that you felt my response was not of a personal nature. I have been rather busy with a number of sound complaints and indeed the positioning of the camera crew, which I do acknowledge in my email. I completely agree with your comments on the crew as I witnessed your discomfort myself as I was seated in the Stalls very close to where you were seated. Although the crew did not impede my view of the stage I found it to be very distracting.

As I mentioned, this is being taken very seriously and we can confirm that Tim Rice and the other promoters are meeting to discuss all the issues raised.”.

I later had an email from somebody else who offer d a full refund including booking fees... for all three tickets.

[greenswan]

Just saw this. I think the reviews here are pretty spot on. It's quite solid overall, the plot is all over the place (but nothing unexpected for a musical) and the big numbers are done very well. They really fill the stage.

However, the sound really isn't good. Essentially all the big group numbers except for two are just a "wall of sound". I could not make out what they were singing about at all except for individual words every once in a while. The orchestra was lovely but quite overpowering during some solos.

The screens are very useful, especially if you're far up. I don't recommend row J in the Balcony at all, most of the time my view was restricted by people in front of me. And all the Chess action takes part at the front of the stage - pretty invisible to me except on the screens. In the last row people could at least stand up.

[zermatt]

Having been really disappointed with the ENO’s Sweeney Todd and Carousel over the last few years, I was very impressed with this. The orchestra were sensational, and I was particularly impressed with Tim Howar and Cassidy Janson. However, I wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on for much of it if I hadn’t seen the production at The Union a few years ago. That was the clearest I’ve ever seen the story told. So I loved it, but I wish I could now see The Union one again!

On another note... I’ve just seen pics on the Whatsonstage twitter account of Tim Howar and his wife Jodie at the party with their baby. Now, I’m no doctor, but we all know that baby is about four days old, and babies don’t get their immunisation jabs for 6-8 weeks. I seriously hope the wee thing doesn’t get sick, being passed around and cuddled by all those germ-riddled hands that have touched the Colisseum and the London Underground this evening!

[dazzlair]

4 out of 5

www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/review-chess-starring-michael-ball-and-alexandra-burke-at-the-london-coliseum

[bellboard27]

WOS 4 stars: www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/reviews/chess-london-coliseum-michael-ball-alexandra-burke_46458.html

[Being Alive]

I just saw that the stage said the only consistently decent performance is Alexandra Burke...

That’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d ever read

[lonlad]

The show is an incomprehensible screamathon. Can all involved just put it to bed and move on to something else? But Mr Ball does look as if he has been gorging on the blinis, bless him. Tim Howar the saving grace of the evening. Ms Burke sings barely ONE comprehensible syllable. Oh well.

[dazzlair]

BWW 3 stars: www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/BWW-Review-CHESS-London-Coliseum-20180501