LIMERICK Musical Society’s production of ‘Chess the Musical’, costing beyond €50,000, will open at University Concert Hall on Wednesday 29, 8pm for four nights with a cast of 60+.
Directed by the award winning team of Des Henn with Barbara Meaney on choreography and Maire Keary-Scanlon as musical director, appreciate that LMS landed four AIMS awards for ‘The Witches of Eastwick’. Aidan O’Connell, a teacher with and producer of drama at Thomond Community College, was party to that victorious elation in 2015.
For ‘Chess’, he takes on the villainous role of Molokov, the ‘second’ to Russian grandmaster Anatoly (Nile St James). His Cold War politics are treacherous in the league of international games against America’s Freddie (James Malone singing rock tenor brilliantly).
Now doing three shows a year, O’Connell got back into musical performance in 2009 through Tipperary Musical Society having seen their ‘Chess the Musical’ the previous year.
“I loved the singing, it was far beyond anything I heard before. And now that I’m doing it, it’s 10 times harder – ‘Chess’ is by far the most challenging so far. We are also trying to tap into the thought process of East and West and who the whole thing was manipulated.
“Molokov is a nasty character, a very dark and very dangerous sort. He is an interesting character to play and I have mostly played comic roles [Fester in The Addams Family, Lefou in Beauty and the Beast] but for the first time I can really get my teeth into it.
“Molokov has no problem manipulating others to further himself. He looks forward to crushing the west”. And when the love interest Florence (Claire Heffernan) sings ‘Nobody’s on Nobody’s Side’, that is so very true”.
O’Connell speaks of his own thrill in working with this quality of cast and finds Des Henn’s method of directing “really helps the show. He lets you develop the character and put your own spin on it. He really does allow you to do what you are doing”.
Backed by a 14-piece orchestra, ‘Chess the Musical’ runs March 29 to April 1. Book at www.uch.ie
