Talking Chess
Oct. 25th, 2014 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nikiwhiteThere's no way to beat around the bush...I might as well cut to the chase (and stop using hackneyed phrases): this next live DVD is a concert. The reason it works for my purposes is that because the show is almost entirely sung, the only differences between this production and one you'd see in a theater are the level of makeup and the absence of sets--though a screen fixes that for DVD viewers.
The show is called Chess In Concert (see, I couldn't hide it from you even if I wanted to), and is worth seeing for its leading trio alone: Tony Award-Winning powerhouse Idina Menzel--most recently the voice of Elsa in Disney's Frozen--as Florence, the melodious Josh Groban as Anatoly, and the versatile Adam Pascal as Freddie. Chess tells the story of Hungarian-born Florence Vassy, who is the second to American World Chess Champion Freddie Trumper. After a falling out that includes her falling in love with his Russian opponent, Anatoly Sergievsky,--in the middle of their World Championship match--the three are plunged into a whirlwind of political intrigue, espionage, betrayal, self-discovery, and heartbreak.
While some character personalities are very loosely based on chess players Victor Korchnoi and Bobby Fischer, the musical is an original Cold War tale that is oddly universal, with its themes of love, sacrifice, the fine line between ambition and obsession, and the concept that home isn't just a physical place. The lyrics and book were created by Sir Tim Rice (he's responsible for the lyrics of The Lion King and 4 out of the 6 songs in Aladdin, among other things) and the gorgeous music that features pop, rock and classical genres was crafted by Benny Andersson and Bjõrn Ulvaeus (composers of Abba's music, along with being group members.)
The concert was filmed in 2008 at London's Royal Albert Hall, released on DVD a year later, and is the show that has Tim Rice's official stamp of approval. That third bit is monumentally crucial, because Chess went through a lot of incarnations before arriving at this spectacular performance.
The show went from being well-received to underrated (seriously, comment if you've heard of it before today and aren't my Facebook friend), beginning with the concept album that introduced it to the world in 1984. Meant as a song sneak-peek, the album was ultimately more popular than the London production that followed in 1986.
After regrouping and acquiring Richard Nelson to help work on the script with Rice, Chess had a New York production in 1988, but Broadway proved even less welcoming than London; whereas Rice's idea ran for 3 years, this radically altered story ran for 2 months. If you're wondering how radical, Florence regresses from a three-dimensional character to a poorly handled romantic device, and there's some unexplained way to cheat at chess with yogurt that I can't get out of my head now (please don't click that, absorbing the full plot will scar you).
Despite these failures, amateur and professional companies just kept wanting to play with the show, and Rice allowed it,
seeing its universality in the productions he attended. Meanwhile he and the Abba boys helped with a spate of worldwide concerts; including one in 2003 that took them back to New York, wherein Josh Groban and Adam Pascal were the leads, perhaps sparking the idea for 2008's production.
Speaking of our leading men, they work brilliantly as enemies, and their chemistry with Idina Menzel is utterly divine. This is unsurprising with Adam Pascal, since he and Idina have worked together before--in the rock musical Rent, its 2005 film, and occasionally as 2 points of a love triangle in Sirs Tim Rice and Elton John's smash Aida (Idina was a replacement); they just access that history and pour it, and their souls, into a different context. Meanwhile, if the harmonizing and soul-pouring in her and Groban's 3 romantic duets don't make you say "wow" at least once, you need to skip off to the wizard and go get a heart.
Apart from the cast, the other reason this show is worth multiple viewings is because of Sir Rice's lyrics. This comes as no surprise if you do a little digging into how much thought the man put into his Disney work, probably the first time most of us have come into contact with the master.
Take the first chorus of "Prince Ali" from Aladdin: "Prince Ali-fabulous he-Ali Ababwa/ Genuflect, show some respect: down on one knee". If you ever wondered what genuflect means, Rice already told you: lowering one's body by bending one knee to the ground in respect/worship. Google it if you don't believe me!
Now, back to the show with "Nobody's Side"; a bitter solo that has Florence lamenting her work situation, with pearls of pragmatic, world-weary wisdom such as, "Never take a stranger's advice/ Never let a friend fool you twice" sprinkled throughout. Keep that line in mind if you listen to both versions of this song.
First is the original Florence, Elaine Paige, who is pitch perfect in a recent recording:
Yet, while I believe everyone should experience Ms. Paige's technical beauty, Idina's performance has more emotional weight:
As for Rice's love songs...they speak for themselves...usually multiple times...honestly, if you have anything that requires major concentration, come back and watch "Mountain Duet" when you have time to squander. As an extra bonus, Pascal makes a very brief appearance at the end of this scene, though calling it "Mountain Duet and a Brief Solo" would be silly.
If you're interest is piqued--and I have no idea why it wouldn't be if you watched those videos--here's the DVD,or it's available to download through iTunes. Feast your eyes and fill your ears, my lovelies, and we'll meet back here soon!
The show is called Chess In Concert (see, I couldn't hide it from you even if I wanted to), and is worth seeing for its leading trio alone: Tony Award-Winning powerhouse Idina Menzel--most recently the voice of Elsa in Disney's Frozen--as Florence, the melodious Josh Groban as Anatoly, and the versatile Adam Pascal as Freddie. Chess tells the story of Hungarian-born Florence Vassy, who is the second to American World Chess Champion Freddie Trumper. After a falling out that includes her falling in love with his Russian opponent, Anatoly Sergievsky,--in the middle of their World Championship match--the three are plunged into a whirlwind of political intrigue, espionage, betrayal, self-discovery, and heartbreak.
The Story Of Chess
While some character personalities are very loosely based on chess players Victor Korchnoi and Bobby Fischer, the musical is an original Cold War tale that is oddly universal, with its themes of love, sacrifice, the fine line between ambition and obsession, and the concept that home isn't just a physical place. The lyrics and book were created by Sir Tim Rice (he's responsible for the lyrics of The Lion King and 4 out of the 6 songs in Aladdin, among other things) and the gorgeous music that features pop, rock and classical genres was crafted by Benny Andersson and Bjõrn Ulvaeus (composers of Abba's music, along with being group members.)
The concert was filmed in 2008 at London's Royal Albert Hall, released on DVD a year later, and is the show that has Tim Rice's official stamp of approval. That third bit is monumentally crucial, because Chess went through a lot of incarnations before arriving at this spectacular performance.
The show went from being well-received to underrated (seriously, comment if you've heard of it before today and aren't my Facebook friend), beginning with the concept album that introduced it to the world in 1984. Meant as a song sneak-peek, the album was ultimately more popular than the London production that followed in 1986.
After regrouping and acquiring Richard Nelson to help work on the script with Rice, Chess had a New York production in 1988, but Broadway proved even less welcoming than London; whereas Rice's idea ran for 3 years, this radically altered story ran for 2 months. If you're wondering how radical, Florence regresses from a three-dimensional character to a poorly handled romantic device, and there's some unexplained way to cheat at chess with yogurt that I can't get out of my head now (please don't click that, absorbing the full plot will scar you).
Despite these failures, amateur and professional companies just kept wanting to play with the show, and Rice allowed it,
seeing its universality in the productions he attended. Meanwhile he and the Abba boys helped with a spate of worldwide concerts; including one in 2003 that took them back to New York, wherein Josh Groban and Adam Pascal were the leads, perhaps sparking the idea for 2008's production.
Crackling Cast Chemistry
Speaking of our leading men, they work brilliantly as enemies, and their chemistry with Idina Menzel is utterly divine. This is unsurprising with Adam Pascal, since he and Idina have worked together before--in the rock musical Rent, its 2005 film, and occasionally as 2 points of a love triangle in Sirs Tim Rice and Elton John's smash Aida (Idina was a replacement); they just access that history and pour it, and their souls, into a different context. Meanwhile, if the harmonizing and soul-pouring in her and Groban's 3 romantic duets don't make you say "wow" at least once, you need to skip off to the wizard and go get a heart.
Language's Importance in Rice's Work
Apart from the cast, the other reason this show is worth multiple viewings is because of Sir Rice's lyrics. This comes as no surprise if you do a little digging into how much thought the man put into his Disney work, probably the first time most of us have come into contact with the master.
Take the first chorus of "Prince Ali" from Aladdin: "Prince Ali-fabulous he-Ali Ababwa/ Genuflect, show some respect: down on one knee". If you ever wondered what genuflect means, Rice already told you: lowering one's body by bending one knee to the ground in respect/worship. Google it if you don't believe me!
Vocals: Emotions Carry The Day
Now, back to the show with "Nobody's Side"; a bitter solo that has Florence lamenting her work situation, with pearls of pragmatic, world-weary wisdom such as, "Never take a stranger's advice/ Never let a friend fool you twice" sprinkled throughout. Keep that line in mind if you listen to both versions of this song.
First is the original Florence, Elaine Paige, who is pitch perfect in a recent recording:
Yet, while I believe everyone should experience Ms. Paige's technical beauty, Idina's performance has more emotional weight:
As for Rice's love songs...they speak for themselves...usually multiple times...honestly, if you have anything that requires major concentration, come back and watch "Mountain Duet" when you have time to squander. As an extra bonus, Pascal makes a very brief appearance at the end of this scene, though calling it "Mountain Duet and a Brief Solo" would be silly.
If you're interest is piqued--and I have no idea why it wouldn't be if you watched those videos--here's the DVD,or it's available to download through iTunes. Feast your eyes and fill your ears, my lovelies, and we'll meet back here soon!
