Chess in Concert

Four items make this a must-have. The first is Josh Groban singing the classic "Anthem", where, as the Russian chess champion, Anatoly, he avows his love for his homeland. As Anatoly's discarded wife, Svetlana, the amazing Kerry Ellis totally nails "Someone Else's Story." There's "The Story of Chess", where the Chorus perform Tim Rice's witty take on the evolution of the game. Finally, the Quartet, where Florence (Idina Menzel), Anatoly, his minder Molokov and the Arbiter deplore how chess has sunk from "a model of decorum and tranquillity" to "a battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee."

Having seen the original London West End production in 1986 with Elaine Paige, I was lucky enough to witness this superb 21st Anniversary production in the Royal Albert Hall, London, last year. Tim Rice has tightened up the plot of love and betrayal played out in the setting of chess championships in the Cold War. Florence, who manages the American champion, falls...Read more

I love Broadway musicals. I love them in their original form. I winced when the changed the lyrics in Oklahoma and deleted songs in The King And I for the sake of movie audiences. Don't mess with the original, that's my creed.

I have to find a new creed. This concert version of Chess messed with the lyrics, added songs, moved songs and changed the plot of one of my favorite musicals of all times. And I'm thrilled. It was a masterful retelling of the original story. Almost every change, every expansion, every redirection helped the story. My one minor quibble was that they sang *Endgame* before the game was over. But that was minor. The filler, the backstory, even the moving *The Story of Chess* to the beginning of the show were all moves that were beneficial to the show.

Chess has always been a bit of a Broadway oddity, with it's unconventional plot and occasional oddly arhthmic song. It is hard to understand unless you read the synopsis...Read more

I've heard of "Chess" but never got around to seeing a live production or listening to a soundtrack. As an ABBA fan I was always curious what kind of musical Benny and Bjorn would produce since their ABBA pop-rock tunes were so incredible. Then PBS announced a special concert version of "Chess" featuring Josh Groban, Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal. So I watched it....

Wow! "Chess In Concert" really looked and sounded impressive. The only thing was I had trouble with the diction. I had to put the captions on to truly understand what was happening on stage. Once I got to view the lyrics with the vocals I was very impressed and kinda blown away by it all.

I'm not a "Grobanite" but I have to admit that Josh Groban (Anatoly) did a good job both vocally and dramatically. Adam Pascal (Frederick) never disappoints me. I could listen to his raspy rock voice all day long. Same with Idina Menzel (Florence). No, I'm not a "Grobanite" but this "Renthead" was very pleased...Read more