Customer Reviews for Chess: The Musical
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Best Mirvish Show
My mom and I attended this show last October and we thought it was absolutely amazing! Everything was brilliant, the acting, singing, choreography, music, directing and concept. We have both been to several Mirvish shows over the years and we both thought that this production of Chess was spectacular! My congratulations to the cast and crew, we would gladly see this production again.
You'll Love It or Hate It
Simple: As you can read on here, some people disliked this production. Our group absolutely loved it, however. Some people don't like a show with actor/musicians, but as a musician myself I couldn't begin to imagine how difficult it is to play a whole score and sing, dance and act! I saw some cast members play at least 3 (might have even been 4) instruments! Aside from that, loved the costumes, acting, and the set was great too - clever projections used etc. The female leads are great (as are the men, but FLorence and Svetlana stood out for me). It is a bit long but I was interested the whole way through.
Brilliant Idea
Love the songs in Chess, and I saw Tam Mutu in Love Never Dies in London last year, so I was excited to see this new production. Not disappointed!! He sings flawlessly and is supported by fantastic actors and dancers and singers (and instrumentalists!). Very serious story which isn't for everyone but I loved it. Not something you see every day but that's a good thing!!
Skeptic No More
I was skeptic going in the show. I've been a fan of a few songs from it for a while, but I was afraid the musical might not live up to the standards of the music. I COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG. The musical is TRULY SPECTACULAR! the wardrobe and production design employed extremely clever use of screens, lights, and creative wardrobe. The re-orchestration and the presentation of the orchestra on stage is remarkable, but the best of all, THE CAST BLEW ME AWAY. There was not a single voice I didn't love. Shona White's portrayal of Florence Vassey is heartfelt and her vocals incredible. Tam Mutu's rendition of Anthem is both powerful and beautiful, it is still ringing through my mind. Those are to just highlight a few. The rest of the cast are equally remarkable, but there isn't enough space for me to detail them all. However, don't go in expecting a classic musical where everything is at face value. Lots of subtext between the lines. Must see for all who love theatre above 14 years of age.
sensational.
I saw this production in the UK and found it sensational, the performers not only acted and sang, but also played all the music themselves with on stage instruments while dancing at the same time, the costumes were also outstanding. The Musical arrangement of the score was also superb, rather than imitating the original 80s album they integrated the use of the piano accordion which along with the onstage fiddlers made it reminiscent of the Benny Anderson orchestra, (as in Benny and bijon of ABBA)this also brought out the folksy Russian tonality of the score.all in all an outstanding production,
The Greatest Show on Earth
If you do your homework (know the songs and story) before you see Chess,you will be one of the many who loves the show.If you walk in unprepared,you’ll be lost.Contrary to what some wrote,you can see and hear who is singing. You can understand all words. While there is movement,it does not confuse the audience unless you are confused before entering the theatre. The music and vocals easily could have been louder. I say this because I could hear the ringing of cell phones during a few of the songs(phones were not next to me, many seats and rows away). The performers are very capable and they have the chops to pull off the entire performance. The music sounds wonderful and the vocals are powerful. It seems to be a deliberate attempt to make many parts as different as possible compared to the Royal Albert Hall Chess in Concert. For those who were expecting a Royal Albert Hall presentation of Chess, I suggest lessons in time travel and opening your mind to new interpretations.