Theater Work's Chess
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 5/8/99
(out of )When last we saw the venerable Community Theatre, Theater Works was leaving this reviewer unimpressed. While some of the choices were daring, the execution left a bit to be desired, and while some of their choices were safe, the execution left a lot to be desired. Hope was held out that Artistic Director Gregory Jaye's bold step to produce the cultish, much-loved-but-much-flawed '80s musical, Chess, would reverse the surprising trend. After encountering as many difficulties as could be expected in mounting the unmountable, and a few others that were unforeseen, it is this reviewers pleasure to tell you that, while they haven't completely pulled-off this unwieldy production, the attempt is a very worthy effort stocked with some very talented performers.
The story of Tim Rice's first effort after his split from
Sir Webber is a muddled, overreaching take on the idyllic and
cerebral world of championship chess when played in the midst
of the cold war by representatives of the two superpowers. The
black king is the previous champion; a wild, rebellious American,
a'la Bobby Fisher and ingeniously named Freddie, who is being
absorbed by his own spotlight. His queen, and more the center
of this show, is Freddie's chess-playing second; the Hungarian-born,
war-torn Florence, whose father taught her the story of chess,
and who is unable to stop Freddie's descent. The white king is
Freddie's Russian challenger, Anatoly, who has forsaken his wife
and any semblance of social amenities to reach this point. His
queen is his KGB operative, non-chess playing second, Molokov.
There are many other players/pieces on both sides, and the game
is played out on the chess board of the stage, as each superpower
moves their pawns for optimal world effect. While it is an interesting
play in theory, the book has never meshed well with the music
and lyrics, and there has yet to be a satisfying, unifying completion
to the process of this musical.
Director Gregory Jaye, and his assistant, Tim Shawver,
have attempted to meld the several versions of this musical into
one that will work. It is a daunting effort, and though they ultimately
lose the battle, it is a very worthy attempt. The result is still
a musical that is interesting when singing, and awkward when speaking.
Mr. Jaye's staging, set design and most of his casting, though,
helps this production immensely, as does some of Rachel Cohen's
choreography. The result is more hit than miss, and that is the
biggest compliment I can give to this company.
Examples of hits include the sensational Beth Anne Johnson
as the torn Florence, who electrifies this production, and perfectly
hits her character and vocalizations in an immensely professional
and impressive way. This show is Ms. Johnson's from beginning
to end, and her ability to crossover from the musical theatre
stylings within this show to their rock-based counterparts is
nothing short of amazing. Impressive, too, is Jason Watson
as Freddie, who does a completely new and different take on his
character, less Murry Head-wasted-rocker-style to a smooth Duran
Duran take that seems to be wrong until the show begins to accelerate.
His performance of the soul-searching, American-divorce-denouncing
song, "Pity the Child" is masterful, and totally Mr.
Watson's triumph. While not quite to the level of Ms. Johnson's
and Mr. Watson's performance, a solid presentation is given by
Bryan Stewart as the focussed Anatoly. Mr. Stewart is less
focussed, and more distant, and his vocalizations are as hesitant
as his fleeting accent, but he still manages to peg his prime
tune, "Anthem," and save his offering in the process.
As the omniscient Arbiter, the referee for the chess games portrayed,
Damon Bolling proves once again to be an impressive and
energetic performer. He raises the rock stylings of this piece
to another, welcomed level. The rest of the secondary characters
are solid, though some are not quite as well-defined as others.
The only disappointments in performance come from the chorus,
who are inaudible nearly half the time, and who sometimes seem
out-of-synch when dancing. Part of their inaudibility comes from
Musical Director Dana Graybeal's six piece, onstage orchestra,
which is still a far-sight better than the canned orchestrations
used in other Theatre Works musical offerings.
While Mr. Jaye's set is a solid presentation of multi-leveled
chess boards, James Clotfelter's lighting design is, in
a word, atrocious. While it seems at some points to have the correct
rock inspirations, there are so many dead spots on the stage that
some performers standing center are still completely in shadow.
Better is Margret Emerson's costuming, dividing black-and-white
characters well, and introducing just enough well-placed color
to keep the audience from going insane. Also solid is Cris
Wo's sound, incorporating several rock-style mikes which,
while sometime creating static, are still generally on-target.
Flaws and all, this show is a sometimes impressive, always worthwhile
effort with some top-notch performances. Just its very existence,
as few professional companies, let alone community theatres, would
dare to mount this show, is already a selling point. See a bit
of history being made, and take in what is the first, and maybe
the last, production of Chess in the Copper State.
Production Details:
Chess Music by Benny Anderson, Lyrics by Bjorn
Ulvaeus and Tim Rice, Book by Richard Nelson
Theater Works,
Peoria
(623) 815-7930
May 7 - May 30, 1999