Chess, South Africa
Lyrics by Sir Tim Rice
Music by Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus
Directed by Paul Warwick Griffin
Produced by Pieter Toerien Productions
Set during the Cold War, CHESS involves a romantic triangle between two players in a World Chess Championship, and the woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Although the protagonists were not intended to represent any specific individuals, the characters' personalities are loosely based on those of Victor Korchnoi and Bobby Fischer. The show is not so much about the game of chess, but rather about how the Cold War affected the lives of those it touched.Freddie, the American, is supported by Florence. During the course of the Championship, Florence falls in love with the Russian Anatoly, and leaves Freddie.
This sets off a sequence of events that tears Anatoly from his wife Svetlana and his manager Molokov, who happens to be connected to the KGB. Who wins the World Chess Championship? Do the politics of the Cold War have the last say? CHESS is very dark, portraying a world where you can trust no one and love cannot survive. From the Alpine heights of Merano, Italy to the sultry heat of Bangkok, Florence, Anatoly and Freddie find themselves swept towards the show's climatic conclusion! Tim Rice teamed up with ABBA's Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus in 1984 and, following the formula of JC Superstar and Evita, a concept album of CHESS was recorded. The cast for the album included Elaine Paige as Florence, Barbara Dickson as Svetlana, Tommy Korberg as Anatoly and Murray Head as Freddie.
The CHESS album contained the chart-topping hits "One Night in Bangkok" (sung by Murray Head) and "I Know Him so Well" (sung by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson).CHESS debuted on the London stage in 1986 and played for three years with a cast led by Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg and Murray Head, while the subsequent short-lived Broadway company featured Judy Kuhn, Philip Casnoff and the late David Carroll. The score includes such tunes as "Nobody's Side," "One Night in Bangkok," "Anthem," "I Know Him So Well," "Pity the Child" and "You and I."CHESS is a 'cult' musical which is hugely popular with musical theatre fans and the general public alike and was voted in the All-Time Top Ten in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the United Kingdom's "Number One Essential Musicals".
CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Paul Warwick Griffin
Musical Supervisor - Charl Johan Lingenfelder
Musical Director - Louis Zurnamer
Choreographer - David Gouldie
Lighting Designer - Jannie Swanepoel
Set and Costume Designer - Ilke Louw |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
| |
Chess Showreel 3
|
| |
| Reviews |
| |
CHESS, South Africa - Directed by Paul Warwick Griffin (Produced by Pieter Toerien Productions)
"Any musical, no matter how iconic, that Paul Warwick Griffin gets hold of is blasted with turbo-charged creativity. Chess - The Musical, which this daring director has also crisply adapted, is no exception."
Adrienne Sichel
"I'll start with raving about Paul Warwick Griffin as a director. He had a brilliant vision and set about creating it. He drew amazing performances from almost everybody, created a brilliant ensemble, pulled together a simple but totally effective set and awesome lighting!"
Star Tonight 2008
"Every bit as impressive as the performances (if not more so) is director Paul Warwick Griffin's vision, which, ingeniously, turns an empty stage into a site of true artistic craftsmanship."
Megan's Head |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
