Chess

I’m not the biggest Ball fan but I suspect he will be rather good in this.

Older than the usual? But is age written into the the book ?

If Alexandra Burke is playing anyone in this production it’s Svetlana, not Florence so she won’t be duetting on any mountains! She’ll be standing there (in rubber-soled shoes) doing her one and a half songs, putting all her recent dance training to no use whatsoever. I just hope she doesn’t start shimmying. Or wear that Mary Poppins outfit. 


Time will tell.

Apart from Burke I'm happy with that.

In my opinion, the annual ENO musical should be a high profile show with a high profile, a-list star, for a limited engagement only. We started off so well with Emma Thompson and then Glenn Close, but are we honestly at the stage where the ENO has to cast whoever they can get?

I appreciate the whole idea is to make money, but a few years later and we’re supposedly swapping Glenn Close for Alexandra Burke? Next year I’ll wait until casting has been confirmed.

But I am looking forward to seeing it as I’ve never seen a production of Chess. It just feels... slightly cheaper now.

Don't underestimate the pull of Mr Ball especially with ladies in their 40s. He will fill the place easily.

I'm a lady in my 40s and I have no intention of buying a ticket for Mr Ball.

Is this finally official now or are people still getting all excited about the unsubstantiated Facebook rumour from a few days ago?

Can't see much advantage in swapping one pop singer for another.  if Equity is doing its job there's already a glut of spare American stars being dumped onto Westend stages by US producers - more would be ridiculous - when so much of the  domestic top talent isn't working. The casting problem for chess may well be   worse at the moment because some of the  very best UK females for these particular roles went to the US to do a musical , and are either doing other things there, and in just  one case, is  about to open on Broadway.  

Not sure it matters performancewise where  the singers are on the celeb monitor. The last Time I saw Chess in London,  Aoide Mullholland in the ensemble,   was comprehensively outclassing the two female big name leads vocally.

The issue is who could act  the roles. And there they seem to have got stuck wanting someone people will know -  to fill the seats . They get the nod - rather than someone discerning theatre goers will recognise can act it - but who don't qualify as well known enough. There's still some obviously  great choices  available - who  have  just having  spent years acting major musical leads well, and some who have even been on TV too - in Game of Thrones, or Over The Rainbow.

Couldn't agree more.

The prestige of these ENO musical productions has certainly been devalued. 

Caissie Levy in Frozen, I presume?

Not that she'd put any bums on seats at ENO.

She's Canadian...?

She would have been amazing.

I know it’s ridiculous but I can’t help obsessing over what costume they’ll put MB in. I can’t picture him in anything but a a tux with braces and a dickie bow or a grey shiny suit.

I DO like Michael though. I think he’s adorable and seems like a genuinely fun and funny chap. I’ve only seen him once live in Hairspray where he camped it up hugely and owned the entire evening.

But for this part...?

I’m adjusting and kind of looking forward to it but in a different sort of way now. AND that orchestra is going to be AMAZING with that score. You can’t take that away.