Chess

Oh well.

Thanks for the fun on this thread everyone. I'm going back to bed.

“I knew weeks ago (before anyone else...),” is something I haven’t heard in years now. Smacks of the school playground.

Is he usually this crass, this Baz? (I don’t do Twitter or read anything he writes; I get all my theatre gossip on here.) It was obvious to those of us following the trials and tribulations of a casting announcement that the delay was due to problems securing the first choice names. Like anything, if an employer can’t get their first choice candidate, they have to work their way down the list. Nice of Baz to give us a bit more info on it though, just enough mind to get everyone guessing, and just enough to let the second (third? fourth?) choice candidate know that He knows. 

Idina Menzel? Really? After the last time? She wasn’t that good really, was she? And would she even do it again? Let’s face it the American thesp could have been anyone in favour of any of them.

Not that fussed about Alexandra Burke. More Premium Economy than First Class. 

Michael Ball has never disappointed me in anything I’ve seen him in (he’s just better kept apart from his bezzie for this kind of thing).

Nice little nod to the past with Murray Head. (Just as long as someone doesn’t get the idea that he should really have a stab at Judas again after all these years).

I’m sure the others will be fine.

The orchestra and chorus will sound phenomenal, I’m sure.

I just pray the chessboard tilts. 

Sure is the school playground as he didn’t break the news himself ...

Bizarre. After someone completely butchered the role, the singing and the material, even after completely tweaked for dvd, someone would let her have another go?

Are these people completely blinded by and submissive to names? As long as these kind of directors and producers work in the business, it will go downhill and we end up getting situations like these.

Quality translates to success. Success does not translate to quality. It's digging their own grave.

Edit: Quality should always come first. If you are too blind to separate that from names, let other people advice you, because there are always the Megan Hilty's and the Nicole Scherzinger's.

Oh I know - as much as I like Idina (and I do) I wouldn’t want her to do it again.
But they were going for a name I guess? Someone the theatre world and the public know?
Anyway we have our cast - let’s try and make the best of it... 🤣

And literally, two minutes after I posted ^^ they’ve tweeted their own announcement.

AB spotted trying on the costume 😬

This cast is SUPER disappointing.

The main problem I have with Alexandra Burke is that I have tried to see her THREE TIMES- and each time she wasn't on. From what people told me during her time at The Bodyguard, she was constantly off and the understudy (who was great each time I saw her) was on almost as much as she was. She has ONE West End credit to her name. ONE.

I like Michael Ball...but, yeah...can't see much chemistry between him and Burke. Maybe he should do ESC again!

Cassidy Janson was alright in Beautiful (felt squawky and shrill both times I saw her in it) but I hope she rocks it.

I hate that this sounds so negative and I hope I am proven wrong.

For £105 a pop (yes, we booked early hoping- and honestly, expecting- a stellar cast) this price is not justified. I am excited for the huge orchestra though!

At least this cast can sing - it was getting so late I was half expecting that in desperation we would get some random z list pop star. Whether or not there will be any believable chemistry between any of the leading 4 remains to be seen. At least it should sound good.

The blond one off of A1 and David Van Day.

Well, several things come to my mind. Why not just import the stellar Washington cast who are doing a great job right now in Washington, the new very good book by Danny strong and bring in the fantastic english creative team of Chess Copenhagen and you will have your hit.