Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Forum administrators, Interface administrators, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
117,038
edits
Chess (theatre): Difference between revisions
transplanted trivia items to trivia page
m (revise quote template spacing) |
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (transplanted trivia items to trivia page) |
||
Line 1:
{{work}}
[[File:Original_Cast_Recording_-_Chess.jpg|frame]]
{{quote|"The game is greater than its players."}}
{{quote|''[[Blatant Lies|It really doesn't matter who comes out on top, who gets the chop; ]]
''[[Blatant Lies|no one's way of life is threatened by a flop.]]
''[[Serious Business|But we're gonna smash that bastard!]]
''Make him wanna change his name!
''[[Disproportionate Retribution|Take him to the cleaners and devastate him!]]
''[[Disproportionate Retribution|Wipe him out, humiliate him! ]]
''We don't want the whole world saying
''"They can't even win a game!"
''We have never reckoned on coming second;
''There's no use in losing!''|''[[Yanks With Tanks|U.S.]] [[Cold War|versus]] [[Reds with Rockets|U.S.S.R.]]''}}
A [[Rock Opera]] with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of [[ABBA]] and with book and lyrics by [[Tim Rice]]. Widely considered to be the latter's [[Magnum Opus]]. It was originally produced as a successful [[Concept Album]] in 1984, then became a West End production, and eventually reached Broadway. Each version of the show
The plot of each version has about this much in common: it concerns the World Chess Championships set against the backdrop of the [[Cold War]]. There's the brash American champion Freddie Trumper, the reserved Russian challenger Anatoly Sergievsky, the American's second ([[Word of God|and not at all girlfriend]]) Florence Vassey who switches her affections to the Russian, the Russian's wife Svetlana, KGB and CIA agents (Alexander/Ivan Molokov and Walter de Courcey, respectively) working behind the scenes, and an Arbiter presiding over the tournaments.
----
{{tropelist}}
Line 26:
* {{spoiler|[[Bittersweet Ending]]: Aside from Walter, who is a pretty despicable guy anyway, and the Arbiter, who really doesn't give a damn about anything but the game itself, everyone loses at least a little bit. In fact, Anatoly's victory is really the only bright spot in an otherwise [[Downer Ending]].}}
* [[Big Bad Duumvirate]]: Walter and Molokov become one in Act II, joining forces to cause as much hell for everyone else as they possibly can.
* [[Break Up Song]]: "Florence Quits".
* [[Movie Bonus Song|Broadway Bonus Song]]: "Someone Else's Story"' is an interesting case. It was added for the Broadway run and given to Florence, but in later productions it goes to Svetlana or even both of them. Some don't bother with it at all.
Line 59 ⟶ 57:
** Walter's part is also pretty low.
* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]: Subverted. Sure, there's chess in it, but it's the least of everyone's worries.
* [[Fading Into the Next Song]]: Done a lot on the [[Concept Album]], but not so much on stage since they usually have a one or two lines of dialogue to cram in before the next cue.
* [[Final Love Duet]]: Subverted with "You and I (Reprise)"
Line 102 ⟶ 99:
* [[Villain Song]]: "The Soviet Machine," where Molokov relates to his compatriots exactly how dirty they will be playing in order to ensure Anatoly loses.
** In the Broadway version, there was also "Let's Work Together", which features Walter and Molokov deciding to team up to take down Anatoly, and "No Contest," where Walter prevails on Freddy to crush his opponent.
{{reflist}}
| |||