Pic: Brendan Gleeson
MACHINATIONS and manoeuvres drive the plot in โChess the Musicalโ and sub plots convolute further.
Limerick Musical Society will open at University Concert Hall on Wednesday March 29 for a four night run of this excitement costing in excess of โฌ50,000 to stage.
Chairperson Laura Henebry joined Arts page to outline the unprincipled principals in this most political of musicals: international power play, grandmaster games, sexual betrayal.
With Tim Rice as lyricist and ABBA members composing, โThe music in โChessโ is stunning. One minute you feel you are at opera, then at a rock concert, then itโs back to the โ80s with synthesiser musicโ.
The face off is between Anatoly, Russian grandmaster (Nile St James) and Freddie, the American modelled on Bobby Fischer (James Malone), over black and white squares of competition for status and love.
Laura plays Svetlana, Anatolyโs wife whom he abandons for Florence,ย the Americanโs โsecondโ in chess play. Florence (Claire Heffernan) is the erratic Freddieโs idealised love โwho swoops in to take my manโ.
Pic: Brendan Gleeson
Aidan OโConnell is Molokov, Anatolyโs manipulative aide and while โseemingly on everybodyโs side, he wheels and deals.
“Molokov is an interesting character, very divisive and the song โNobodyโs on Nobodyโs Sideโ makes clear that they are all pawns. There is a reference early on to Freddie as โthe dethroned championโ.
Bear with the challenges, from opening game in Italyโs Merano throughout a series that the American is losing, as he loses Florence to Anatoly. Tension will culminate in the world gamesย – โOne Night in Bangkokโย – as every member of the ensemble has a stake in Anatoly purposely losing. Will the Russian king be pawn?
โMolokov intrigues Svetlana in getting Anatoly to throw the game. Another song โEndgameโ for her is that her husband would then come home. Her song โI Know Him So Willโ duets withย Florence although neither knows the other is there as they sing itโ.
For both it is their emotionally charged experience of the man.
There are other characters, Ciaran Collins as The Arbiter, a narrator figure and Jason Ronan as Walter. The Cold War is backdrop to the un-united nations that span continents and octaves, whuke Florenceโs imprisoned father, a Hungarian emigrรฉ, is another bargaining chip.
Let the games begin.