At last, Chess came back to Toronto. Showing at the Princess of Wales Theatre, it was another musical that offered discounted tickets, so the theatre was quite full the night I went.
I had been looking forward to seeing this one, but unfortunately, was disappointed. It just didn’t do anything for me and halfway through was ready to leave, but stuck it out right to the end… what a trooper, eh!
The storyline, in a nutshell, is one of East (Russia) versus West (US) through a game of chess (just like in the olde days when the show first opened). With a love triangle thrown in for good measure.
Don’t get me wrong… the costumes, performances were all good, but the storyline just doesn’t cut it anymore especially when you consider other more entertaining shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked… I could go on.
It’s the first time that I’ve seen a musical where the performers are playing instruments whilst acting. Pretty talented cast wouldn’t you say? The music was disappointing especially whenever it was by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA), and lyrics by Tim Rice.
I only recognized 2 of the songs – “One night in Bangkok” and “I know him so well“. The remainder of the score was not memorable at all.
There’s not much else I can say about this particular musical except that if I had the chance to see it again, I wouldn’t. It’s not for everyone and most definitely, not for me.
