Chess in Concert

Comment: Chess has always been a favorite musical and this performance was breathtaking. Both sensational and finely crafted, this is, in my opinion, a performance of the century. Josh Groban, in particular is close to perfect as the Russian chess competitor - he dosen't miss a beat and his pathos is right on target.

I'm used to the old 2 disk LP so some of the performers didn't seem to fit into their characters, they seemed to lack the "bite" of the older performance, but that probably has more to do with my prior expectations that any flaw of theirs. They all, nevertheless did a great job and produced a chillingly beautiful experience.

I would say that this is one of the "must haves" of any collector of musicals.

Comment: What do you get when you take several of the most gifted singer/actors in the world and have them sing one of the most beautiful scores ever written in concert at the Royal Albert Hall? This wonderful version of Chess in concert. Grobin, Menzel, Pascall and cast are stellar. I use this dvd in class to teach my singer/actors how to stage, how to sell a song, and simply as excellent entertainment. This is a must have for anyone who loves musical theatre.

Comment: Warning: this is not a dramatic production. This is a concert, in which some of the singers pretend to act. Most of the space, and much of the camera time, is given over to the chorus and the orchestra; the singers with roles have a tiny sliver of space in which to sing, move around, even gesture--but not act. They don't emote; they don't really engage each other. Sort of like opera, but without the sets. I don't really see the point of putting it on DVD; there's very little to look at.

I suppose it should've been clear from the title. I'm just glad I got it through Netflix instead of buying it. I'll stick with my copy of the CD from the Broadway production.

Comment: If you love the show Chess with its great musical score and wish it would come back to Broadway, this is for you! There are a bunch of new songs as well as the classics from the original show. Josh Groban, Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal are fantastic! This is absolute 'must buy' for all the Chess lovers out there!!!

Comment: Chess has been my favorite musical show for more than 20 years; but, have never seen it perfored. Gained so much more understanding of the complexities of the show by being able to see and hear with words shown as subtitles. Been watching it over and over several times to enjoy even more. Liked this presentation so much that I bought 6 copies to give out as holiday gifts to people that I want to share with.