64 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 9:37:43 GMT
Post by dazzlair on May 3, 2018 9:37:43 GMT
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108 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 9:41:32 GMT
Post by bob2010 on May 3, 2018 9:41:32 GMT
2* from the Metro this morning
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18,820 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 11:31:55 GMT
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 3, 2018 11:31:55 GMT
i haven’t read all the reviews but both the Guardian and Metro refer to (in)appropriateness of the Bangkok scene. “writhing women in glass boxes” says Claire Allfree in the Metro metaphorically clutching her pearls. Are there any writhing men? I’ll be disappointed if not.
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Post by alece10 on May 3, 2018 11:45:10 GMT
i haven’t read all the reviews but both the Guardian and Metro refer to (in)appropriateness of the Bangkok scene. “writhing women in glass boxes” says Claire Allfree in the Metro metaphorically clutching her pearls. Are there any writhing men? I’ll be disappointed if not. There was a lot more "writhing" in Miss Saigon especially where I was sat in the first row but I don't remember the press mentioning that.
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2,149 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 13:26:53 GMT
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Post by richey on May 3, 2018 13:26:53 GMT
i haven’t read all the reviews but both the Guardian and Metro refer to (in)appropriateness of the Bangkok scene. “writhing women in glass boxes” says Claire Allfree in the Metro metaphorically clutching her pearls. Are there any writhing men? I’ll be disappointed if not. Yes there is writhing and a lot of bodily contortions from both sexes (not only in Bangkok but also the Merchandising song)
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18,820 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 14:03:07 GMT
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 3, 2018 14:03:07 GMT
i haven’t read all the reviews but both the Guardian and Metro refer to (in)appropriateness of the Bangkok scene. “writhing women in glass boxes” says Claire Allfree in the Metro metaphorically clutching her pearls. Are there any writhing men? I’ll be disappointed if not. Yes there is writhing and a lot of bodily contortions from both sexes (not only in Bangkok but also the Merchandising song) Ms. Allfree must have missed that bit.
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1,908 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 15:07:53 GMT
Post by sf on May 3, 2018 15:07:53 GMT
i haven’t read all the reviews but both the Guardian and Metro refer to (in)appropriateness of the Bangkok scene. “writhing women in glass boxes” says Claire Allfree in the Metro metaphorically clutching her pearls. Are there any writhing men? I’ll be disappointed if not. There was a lot more "writhing" in Miss Saigon especially where I was sat in the first row but I don't remember the press mentioning that. From Variety: I don't see it myself until next week, but in 2018 that's a fair point. Full review at this link: Variety - ENO Chess review
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Post by bellboard27 on May 3, 2018 15:43:48 GMT
There was a lot more "writhing" in Miss Saigon especially where I was sat in the first row but I don't remember the press mentioning that. From Variety: I don't see it myself until next week, but in 2018 that's a fair point. Full review at this link: Variety - ENO Chess review"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free You'll find a god in every golden cloister And if you're lucky then the god's a she I can feel an angel sliding up to me"
Of course, they could replace One Night in Bangkok with a new song "One Afternoon in Bangkok" about buying flowers on the floating market and provide a different, sanitised view of the city.
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Post by BoOverall on May 3, 2018 16:18:00 GMT
Am looking forward to seeing this. It’s one of my favourites for the gloriousness of the score (far less so the book!) - oh that score.
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1,908 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 16:19:05 GMT
Post by sf on May 3, 2018 16:19:05 GMT
From Variety: "Rural Italians in (er) lederhosen squeezing ABBA out of accordions is one thing, but a Bangkok populated by Buddhist icons and ladyboys feels beyond the pale (especially since most of the actors playing the locals are.)" I don't see it myself until next week, but in 2018 that's a fair point. Full review at this link: Variety - ENO Chess review"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free You'll find a god in every golden cloister And if you're lucky then the god's a she I can feel an angel sliding up to me"
Of course, they could replace One Night in Bangkok with a new song "One Afternoon in Bangkok" about buying flowers on the floating market and provide a different, sanitised view of the city.
Yes, I know the lyrics too, and that isn't quite the point. As the review suggests, while it isn't exactly yellowface, having white people put on clichéd Thai drag for a dance number perhaps doesn't look as innocuous now as it might have been thirty years ago.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 3, 2018 16:51:58 GMT
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Post by Oleanna on May 3, 2018 17:11:28 GMT
As far as I’m concerned, she more than justified the role being written for her - NOBODY sings it like Elaine Paige.
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2018 17:35:06 GMT
Since seeing 'Chess' at the weekend made me revisit one of my favourite recordings of the musical, the Swedish cast recording from 2002, which to my mind (and although I adore Elaine Paige) had the most perfect four leads in Tommy Körberg (Anatolij), Helen Sjöholm (Florence), Anders Ekborg (Freddie) and Josefin Nilsson (Svetlana).
Sadly Josefin Nilsson is no longer with us but her Svetlana was a divine performance and her beautiful cracked voice was simply just glorious. For those who weren't familiar with Alexandra Burke's "new" song at the beginning of Act II of the ENO production, let me guide you to "Han är en man han är ett barn" (He is a man, he is a child) in its original form. It's in Swedish I grant you but Josefin sounds as magnificent as she ever did. She sadly passed away a couple of years ago, aged just 46, but if anything is a fitting tribute to her, her performance in 'Chess' must surely be it.
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318 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 18:17:46 GMT
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Post by Scswp on May 3, 2018 18:17:46 GMT
In the Swedish production, I seem to remember that, at some point, Molokov sings a song (can’t remember the Swedish title) that is actually the tune of Abba’s demo song ‘When the Waves Roll Out to Sea’. I’m sure I haven’t dreamt this - is this tune/section in the current London version?
EDIT : Here it is. Is this included in the London production?
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51 posts
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Chess
May 3, 2018 19:40:57 GMT
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Post by chess on May 3, 2018 19:40:57 GMT
In the Swedish production, I seem to remember that, at some point, Molokov sings a song (can’t remember the Swedish title) that is actually the tune of Abba’s demo song ‘When the Waves Roll Out to Sea’. I’m sure I haven’t dreamt this - is this tune/section in the current London version? No it isn’t. It was a chess demo, based on the never released abba song just like that. That melody used in the sweden version is breathtakingly beautiful.
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318 posts
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Chess
May 4, 2018 5:33:09 GMT
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Post by Scswp on May 4, 2018 5:33:09 GMT
In the Swedish production, I seem to remember that, at some point, Molokov sings a song (can’t remember the Swedish title) that is actually the tune of Abba’s demo song ‘When the Waves Roll Out to Sea’. I’m sure I haven’t dreamt this - is this tune/section in the current London version? No it isn’t. It was a chess demo, based on the never released abba song just like that. That melody used in the sweden version is breathtakingly beautiful. Ok. I thought it was based on a song called ‘When the Waves Roll Out to Sea’. Is ‘Just Like That’ just a different title for the same tune/song or are the two songs/demos different? Anyway, I agree that the performance in the Swedish version is lovely. I have no idea what he is singing about, but it definitely has a poignancy to it. Hopefully, it’ll be included in the Helsinki version which I hope to see later this year. It’ll be interesting to see how that compares with the London version that I’ll see later this month.
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1,908 posts
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Chess
May 4, 2018 22:31:51 GMT
Post by sf on May 4, 2018 22:31:51 GMT
No it isn’t. It was a chess demo, based on the never released abba song just like that. That melody used in the sweden version is breathtakingly beautiful. Ok. I thought it was based on a song called ‘When the Waves Roll Out to Sea’. Is ‘Just Like That’ just a different title for the same tune/song or are the two songs/demos different? Yes. Or rather, both. There's a demo of 'Just Like That' in which the 'When The Waves Roll Out To Sea"/"Glöm mig om du kan" melody forms the song's verse. There are other versions of the song that are completely different, and the title has been applied to more than one melody.
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193 posts
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Chess
May 4, 2018 22:48:16 GMT
Post by groupbooker on May 4, 2018 22:48:16 GMT
perhaps its just a quick tuna!! - sorry!!
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64 posts
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Post by dazzlair on May 4, 2018 23:21:22 GMT
Just came back from tonight's performance and overall I was thrilled with the staging and the singing. That wall of sound from the orchestra was everything that glorious score deserved.
Chess was the very first cast recording I bought on double cassette(!) so it has a special place in my heart. However I do recognise that it is a magnificent score in search of a coherent book. And this is where the ENO production fell short. It seemed like the director couldn't decide whether to focus on the politics or the relationships and in the end it did neither satisfactorily. I thought the RAH production at least made some sort of sense with Florence being betrayed in the end thus underlining the everyone's-a-pawn analogy. Even CRH's version made more sense as it centred on the relationships whilst glossing over the politics with tinsel and razzmatazz.
The ENO version simply didn't gel. I never felt Svetlana was in any sort of bind. Why did Freddie just mention the Indian defence out of nowhere (it literally was a wtf moment for me)?
But I went for the singing and on that count, it was everything I could expect. Even Ms Burke surprised me as I really enjoyed her take. I Know Him So Well was beautifully rendered by the two leading ladies. Ms Janson was on fire tonight. Nobody's Side was a tour de force and You And I was a real emotional moment with tears running down her face (not the Demi Moore in Ghost elegant tears type crying). Mr Ball killed it with Anthem - an unforgettable theatrical moment - but then dropped the er...ball in Endgame. I'm not quite sure what happened but I think he came in a line too early during "How you've hated my success! There was an awkward silence before Ms Burke recovered with her part. Performance of the night for me was Tim Howar's Pity the Child which earned the loudest applause. My goodness - that was a full on tremendous roar of a performance.
The sound was fine to my ears. Yes, the choral numbers was somewhat muddled but I do think it's down to the lyrics. If you listen to the concept album, it's also really difficult to make out the words unless you're reading the booklet. I thought the staging was great. I especially liked the private jet scene. Cute!
The worst scene for me was One Night in Bangkok. Being Asian, I didn't take offence at the fake Asians. I just thought it wasn't very imaginatively staged. Almost like a second rate take on What a Waste from Miss Saigon. The choreography was hackneyed and the aerial acrobatics were not in sync and looked messy.
Overall I enjoyed it. Chess will always be a polarising musical and I suppose for a Chesshead like me, the fascination lies in the ever evolving book. I've seen various productions of Chess and if I were to rank them all, it would be:
1. 90s tour with Rebecca Storm/Maurice Clark 2. CRH version 3. Union version 4. ENO 5. RAH 6. Am-dram in Watford(!)
Having said that, I've booked to see it again. It will probably be the last chance to experience such a large production in the West End in my lifetime and when it worked, it worked really well.
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Post by chess on May 5, 2018 4:59:12 GMT
Just came back from tonight's performance and overall I was thrilled with the staging and the singing. That wall of sound from the orchestra was everything that glorious score deserved. Chess was the very first cast recording I bought on double cassette(!) so it has a special place in my heart. However I do recognise that it is a magnificent score in search of a coherent book. And this is where the ENO production fell short. It seemed like the director couldn't decide whether to focus on the politics or the relationships and in the end it did neither satisfactorily. I thought the RAH production at least made some sort of sense with Florence being betrayed in the end thus underlining the everyone's-a-pawn analogy. Even CRH's version made more sense as it centred on the relationships whilst glossing over the politics with tinsel and razzmatazz. The ENO version simply didn't gel. I never felt Svetlana was in any sort of bind. Why did Freddie just mention the Indian defence out of nowhere (it literally was a wtf moment for me)? But I went for the singing and on that count, it was everything I could expect. Even Ms Burke surprised me as I really enjoyed her take. I Know Him So Well was beautifully rendered by the two leading ladies. Ms Janson was on fire tonight. Nobody's Side was a tour de force and You And I was a real emotional moment with tears running down her face (not the Demi Moore in Ghost elegant tears type crying). Mr Ball killed it with Anthem - an unforgettable theatrical moment - but then dropped the er...ball in Endgame. I'm not quite sure what happened but I think he came in a line too early during "How you've hated my success! There was an awkward silence before Ms Burke recovered with her part. Performance of the night for me was Tim Howar's Pity the Child which earned the loudest applause. My goodness - that was a full on tremendous roar of a performance. The sound was fine to my ears. Yes, the choral numbers was somewhat muddled but I do think it's down to the lyrics. If you listen to the concept album, it's also really difficult to make out the words unless you're reading the booklet. I thought the staging was great. I especially liked the private jet scene. Cute! The worst scene for me was One Night in Bangkok. Being Asian, I didn't take offence at the fake Asians. I just thought it wasn't very imaginatively staged. Almost like a second rate take on What a Waste from Miss Saigon. The choreography was hackneyed and the aerial acrobatics were not in sync and looked messy. Overall I enjoyed it. Chess will always be a polarising musical and I suppose for a Chesshead like me, the fascination lies in the ever evolving book. I've seen various productions of Chess and if I were to rank them all, it would be: 1. 90s tour with Rebecca Storm/Maurice Clark 2. CRH version 3. Union version 4. ENO 5. RAH 6. Am-dram in Watford(!) Having said that, I've booked to see it again. It will probably be the last chance to experience such a large production in the West End in my lifetime and when it worked, it worked really well. Thank you for your review. An honest report that pays respect to the score. I have seen it three times now and I have been surprised by the reviews of the ‘serious’ press. All the three times I noticed a great audience reaction. I love chess. And it isn’t get better then this.
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647 posts
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Chess
May 5, 2018 6:39:16 GMT
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Post by ptwest on May 5, 2018 6:39:16 GMT
On my way down to see this today - really looking forward to it!
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1,210 posts
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Chess
May 5, 2018 7:29:28 GMT
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Post by musicalmarge on May 5, 2018 7:29:28 GMT
What was so GOOD about the Union version friends? I’ve heard people rave about it’s fascinated to know why it worked so well.
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Post by 9mirrors on May 5, 2018 9:55:07 GMT
The beauty of the Union Theatre production was the characterisation. The fact that wherever you sat you were less than three rows from the stage enabled you to see ever emotion and expression from cast members. They had the genius of casting Molokov as a woman and made her character more sinister. The relationship between Freddie and Florence was more sexual and violent. They almost excercised Walter from the show and added more humour especially in the new role of newscaster Angela St Angelo which was played as dumb blond American with no interest in Chess but was equally as Machiavellian manipulating characters for her advantage. The staging of Qyartet where the four leads pulled her about the stage in an interview was really humourous. What it lacked in sets and costumes (looked liked they’d raided jumble sales) it maximised in staging and the tension built to. And the bravery to cut small sections of songs moved the show along at a quicker pace. Loved the violent opening scene when Flirence’s Father disappeared and it implied Molokova had been responsible for betraying or instrumental in the possible murder of Florence’s father. It left an entire cast dead on stage who then rise from the dead to sing lines fromThe Story of Chess. Several of the cast are now leading West End actors.
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Chess
May 5, 2018 9:56:56 GMT
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Post by Being Alive on May 5, 2018 9:56:56 GMT
I’m going today - apart from a couple of songs I know nothing about the show. I’m going in with relatively low expectations after reviews and what some of you guys said. Mainly just going to hear a huge orchestra haha
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64 posts
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Chess
May 5, 2018 10:31:02 GMT
Post by dazzlair on May 5, 2018 10:31:02 GMT
The beauty of the Union Theatre production was the characterisation. The fact that wherever you sat you were less than three rows from the stage enabled you to see ever emotion and expression from cast members. They had the genius of casting Molokov as a woman and made her character more sinister. The relationship between Freddie and Florence was more sexual and violent. They almost excercised Walter from the show and added more humour especially in the new role of newscaster Angela St Angelo which was played as dumb blond American with no interest in Chess but was equally as Machiavellian manipulating characters for her advantage. The staging of Qyartet where the four leads pulled her about the stage in an interview was really humourous. What it lacked in sets and costumes (looked liked they’d raided jumble sales) it maximised in staging and the tension built to. And the bravery to cut small sections of songs moved the show along at a quicker pace. Loved the violent opening scene when Flirence’s Father disappeared and it implied Molokova had been responsible for betraying or instrumental in the possible murder of Florence’s father. It left an entire cast dead on stage who then rise from the dead to sing lines fromThe Story of Chess. Several of the cast are now leading West End actors. Just dug out the program for the show. Natasha J Barnes played Svetlana! I totally agree with your critique. The small space really lent an air of urgency to the piece and without any mikes, amplification, or sets to distract, our focus was only ever on the characters as there was nothing to hide behind. I Know Him So Well was also nicely done with the two ladies sitting opposite each other, separated by an invisible make up mirror. I felt that because the ladies were not interacting with each other, the song felt more natural and poignant. It was a real highlight. I remember the reviews were generally positive though everyone always came back to the problematic book.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 5, 2018 11:32:38 GMT
An aside not about the production.
On entering I was told I couldn’t bring in a bottle of cola. I could only bring in water. I replied that this was not the case for 8 previous shows in the ENO’s 17/18 season I had been to. The reply was that it is a musicals only policy!
I said I would drink it as I wandered in and was told this was OK. Of course I kept it till later. I noticed quite a few others had got drinks through.
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Post by CG on the loose on May 5, 2018 12:25:59 GMT
An aside not about the production. On entering I was told I couldn’t bring in a bottle of cola. I could only bring in water. I replied that this was not the case for 8 previous shows in the ENO’s 17/18 season I had been to. The reply was that it is a musicals only policy! I said I would drink it as I wandered in and was told this was OK. Of course I kept it till later. I noticed quite a few others had got drinks through. They do advise their policy on food and drink bought elsewhere (including water, which they were certainly enforcing during Bat last year, but maybe they’ve softened on that) in the email they send out a couple of days before your visit... of course that may not apply if you’ve booked other than via ENO. I transferred my water bottle to my pocket before bag check but needn’t have bothered because they certainly weren’t bothered about checking them! As for the production, as I’ve said way up thread, I’ve been in love with the Chess score since I went to the first ever live performance of the concept album at the Barbican back in the 80s and I was never NOT going to go to a production with a full orchestra, regardless of who they cast. [slightly spoilery re staging details so perhaps don’t read on if you want to see it fresh] It wasn’t the *best* sung version I’ve seen, indeed there were moments (from nearly all the principal cast) which had me shaking my head, sad that vocal grand-standing was sometimes more important than honouring a beautiful score. But overall, I loved it - loved the wall of sound (as someone called it above) from orchestra and full chorus. Loved the ‘big’ numbers - the night I was there, ‘I Know Him So Well’ probably got the loudest applause, but I think Tim Howar’s ‘Pity the Child’ was my personal highlight, rather in contrast to my overall view of his performance. Ball’s ‘Anthem’ got a huge response but I’ve heard it sung better recently and couldn’t entirely put that out of my mind as I listened. I thought the staging was pretty ambitious for a ‘semi-staged’ version and from where I was sitting, centre front row, worked well (except for the rather wobbly rising platform on which the chess games take place - view not the best from front Stalls, but the big screens either side do their best to compensate - it was the only time I watched them closely, no singing meant no distraction from out-of-synch lips. Could have done with an overhead view of the chessboard itself behind the Arbiter but unnecessary for most of the audience who could see the board itself). The sound wasn’t perfect, and if I didn’t know the lyrics as well as I do, I would have struggled to hear them I think. I found the pace a little slow compared to the original concept album (different but fine) and I wondered if that was a deliberate move to try and minimise the out-of-synch video issues (still not resolved regardless of what the show’s twitter account proudly boasted a couple of previews in). I was disappointed with the staging of ‘One Night in Bangkok’ - lazy the best word I can come up with to describe it - and slightly surprised to discover I still know all the words to the ‘Embassy Lament’ (no I didn’t sing along!). I’m going back again towards the end of the run and have no doubt I’ll come out smiling and singing ‘Merano’ as I did on Thursday.
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18,820 posts
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Chess
May 5, 2018 12:58:55 GMT
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 5, 2018 12:58:55 GMT
According to Michael Grade on the radio a couple of weeks ago this is not a semi staged production.
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1,510 posts
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Chess
May 5, 2018 14:15:37 GMT
Post by anita on May 5, 2018 14:15:37 GMT
An aside not about the production. On entering I was told I couldn’t bring in a bottle of cola. I could only bring in water. I replied that this was not the case for 8 previous shows in the ENO’s 17/18 season I had been to. The reply was that it is a musicals only policy! I said I would drink it as I wandered in and was told this was OK. Of course I kept it till later. I noticed quite a few others had got drinks through. Thanks for the warning.
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Post by Being Alive on May 5, 2018 14:55:28 GMT
Michael Ball got entrance applause. (And I hasten to add not from me)
That’s my only comment for now. I’ll wait till the end
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