A trip to the English National Opera's production of Chess proves too much for Garageland theatre reviewer, Lisa Duffy.
Chess is one of those shows that bestows a certain status onto
musical theatre fans. The original concept album was something of a cult recording
for the genre’s devotees in the 1990s, passed around with reverence at high
school cast parties and amateur theatre rehearsals. Knowledge of the show
separated casual enthusiasts from hardcore nerds and being able to perform “One
Night in Bangkok” without missing a word was akin to a superpower. (Though this
is perhaps truer in America, where the 1988 Broadway transfer lasted less than
three months, as opposed to the original London version’s more impressive three-year
stint).
After an absence of
over thirty years from the West End boards, the time certainly feels right for
a revival. There is an increasing trend of throwback, pulsing, synthesised
music throughout the Theatre District—in addition to fellow 1980s stalwart
megamusicals The Phantom of the Opera
and Les Miserables, Bat Out of Hell is currently cranking
out the tunes of Meatloaf eight times a week and the upcoming Knights of the Rose will be giving a
Shakespearean backdrop to the songs of performers like Bon Jovi and Bonnie
Tyler. But more importantly, Chess’
story of Cold War politics told through an American and a Russian battling for
supremacy in the World Chess Championship seems poised to be able to offer
commentary on the contemporary world. (The American is a brash narcissist named
Trumper, just increasing the potential relevance).
