Review: Chess at Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Sep 4 2010 by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal

WHEN creative minds get together to think up new musical ideas it’s hard to imagine anyone saying “I know, let’s base one around a chess tournament”.

Aside from having the task of getting us excited about the premise of a board game, they land themselves with a largely black and white palette.

But then the creative powers behind 80s West End hit Chess are Tim Rice and Abba’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. And this new production adds to the cross-national mix with the talents of Australia-born Mr Strictly Come Dancing – Craig Revel Horwood, who was in Newcastle with lyricist Rice for this world premiere.

Horwood both choreographs and directs, and the result confirms things are never just black and white when you’ve got imagination.

It’s a pretty straightforward story, of two competing chess masters – one American (James Fox), one Russian (Daniel Koek), a world championship, and shared love interest (Shona White).

But it’s given a fresh vibe in a stylish show, produced by Michael Harrison from Wallsend, North Tyneside, which has an on-stage orchestra doubling as a sassy chorus of chess pieces and dramatic visuals such as screen projections of media coverage of the big match – all set against the backdrop of Cold War tensions.

Performances are excellent. There isn’t anyone who takes their foot off the pedal for an instant in this show – a tad too long at nearly three hours.

A stand-out scene has the musician- actors play out the on-board moves of the game, ending up scattered on the floor – then continuing to play their instruments lying on their backs. The three leads have voices of incredible power and range, matched by Poppy Tierney, who joins them in act two as the Russian’s wife. She and White show that, if the musicians can play lying down, they can sing just as well seated – as they are for most of their beautiful, powerful duet I Know Him So Well. The audience loved it.

The score, which includes One Night In Bangkok, Anthem and a moving Pity The Child (a lovely version by Fox with guitar, against a backdrop silhouette), also rocks it up and is well-matched by choreography, which is at times bare-chested sensual, at others, balletic.

On a chess board set, the black and white costumes are imaginative: the actor-musicians, playing everything from violins to accordions, are pawns, knights, rooks, kings and queens – in an assortment of hats and eye-catching outfits of leathers, straps and lace, looking sometimes 80s, sometimes pantomime, always fun – with a touch of the homo-erotic for good measure.

I was sorry to hear that a raunchy Bangkok scene was toned down after the preview shows before we had a chance to see what the fuss was about.

Regardless, I can’t think of how the production could have been better.

Many gave it a standing ovation and, at the risk of upsetting fans of the game, I’d say this is as much fun as it’s possible to have watching chess.