One Night In Cambridge Makes A Great Night of Theatre: The Longwood Players Present: "Chess"

"Chess"
Music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeu
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Book by Richard Nelson

Directed by Kaitlyn Chantry
Music Directed by Stephen Peters

"Chess" is an incredibly well-know show in the musical theatre arena, with its setting, overall tone and musicality. Developed by lyricist Tim Rice, ABBA band members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeu, it was initially created as a concept album. Rice had done the same with his previous works "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". Later, the show premiered in the mid 80s with the book written by Richard Nelson.  Now a full-fledged production, many theatre companies acorss the world have produced this famed show.  More recently, The Longwood Players in Cambridge opened their production so it was definitely worth checking out.

Taking place during the Cold War Era, "Chess" examines the story of the character simply know as the "The American" defending his championship world Chess title against another, known as "The Russian". The American brings his number 2, Florence, with him to his match, but along the way, certain events occur and like pieces on a Chess board, moves and machinations are made that culminate in an unexpected turn of events, where love, anger and pride come to a head.

The score by Andersson and Ulvaeu is strong, as it contains the tone and feel of their past work in ABBA. However, it's more over-the-top and powerful, specifically in the opening number "Merano". Despite its power in some parts, its uneven and inconsistent. As the music was initially part of a concept album, it truly feels disjointed and lacks cohesion in certain areas. Despite a few missteps, the score is astounding and powerful.  The lyrics and book are on the weaker side, as the dialogue could have easily replaced the singing exposition. The story is difficult to follow and to have the subject material examining Chess, it's hard to stay with the show.  The story seems very much like a "paint by numbers" plot, and feels like it goes through the motions of a generic story. Even though the music and plot had some questionable moments, Longwood does manage to make the most of it and put on a great production and kept it engaging.

The performances across the board were incredibly strong. Kevin Hanley's American is full of wonderful swagger and carries himself with such astounding confidence. His pipes dominate and his charisma is astounding, specifically in "Pity the Child 2", he simply owns it, bringing new levels to the character. Rachel Savage is wonderfully strong and powerful as Florence. She rocks her song "Nobody's Side" as her voice carries through the space.  She brings wonderfully tender yet deep moments to the show. Athan Mantalos' Russian is excellent as well. With such a strong voice, specifically in "Where I Want To Be", he not only has a wonderful grasp on the character, but moments of quiet vulnerability shine through, giving some great depth to his journey. The ensemble, as well as the other characters embroiled in the story, give solid performances. With a choral and epic feel, they are simply wonderous in their moments, continuously bringing the production to new heights. "One Night in Bangkok" is of course a winner for all as well, enabling a rocking good time.

The technical aspects of the production were good in some moments, but it never really added or took away from everything. It didn't hurt the show, but it did contribute all that much. The set was black and white, as it should be, but there were pieces that never really functioned beyond assisting in lighting and setting a few places throughout the show. The lighting was the same, but in some scenes it did have great tones and warm colors that made many things pop. Kaitlyn Chantry's direction was executed well enough, having the orchestra lifted above as well as some strong movements that really gave the production some unique flavor.  Like the set, however, some sections did not necessarily hurt anything, but was difficult to get on board with. Having the Conductor towards upstage was distracting sometimes, especially during deeper moments in scenes. However, the placement was a strong choice, as orchestra and music direction were great, and didn't overpower anyone.   In staging, some minor issues were scattered throughout, but one moment, "Embassy Lament", gave off a Monty Python-esque feel, thus bringing forth a marvelous display of humor and character.  Again, nothing hurt the show, and overall, everything worked well. It was cohesive and it was an incredibly well-put together show.

"Chess" is quite the musical, as it deals with interesting subject material, which is fairly poignant.  Its score and book were uneven, but it still offers the opportunity to put on a great show. The Longwood Players did a fantastic job in performances and with the overall production.  There a few minor issues, but it did not dim the wonderful work and display of great theatre.  Kudos to cast and crew for an excellent show. It is definitely worth checking out.

Lacking Grandeur and Real Go Go Go: Newton Country Players Present "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Music by

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Lyrics by

Tim Rice

Director/Choreographer

Michelle Leibowitz

Music Direction 

Karen Winkler

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice are household names in musical theatre, each having written and created the most fantastical and wonderful shows.  Lloyd Webber has written music for some of the most recognizable shows, including "Evita" and "Phantom of the Opera." Rice has written lyrics for a few Disney movies, including "Aladdin" and "The Lion King." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" was a collaboration of the two in the 70s, having worked on "Jesus Christ Superstar" together as well.  "Joseph" has been produced thousands of times since its inception by schools and theatre companies alike. Recently, Newton Country Players presented their production.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is based on a story from Genesis. It tells the tale of Joseph, who was the one of 12 sons of Jacob. Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams and soon discovers that he meant to rule over his brothers.  He is also given a coat of many colors as a sign of his father's favoritism. Jealous, his siblings sell him into slavery in Egypt. He must rely on this wits and abilities to make the best of the situation, which ends up taking him on a most unexpected journey.

The show has little to no spoken dialogue, therefore having music and singing driving the show. The score is catchy and fun, but Newton Country Players does not take advantage of this as much as they could. Granted, they have created a very energetic and good times on the surface, but its not nearly as grand as it could've been. The production fell short as it lacked many key elements to really make a memorable theatrical experience.  

Doug Hodge's Joseph never really stands out amongst the sizable cast.  Needing to really carry the show, his Joseph was not at all engaging, and he almost feels detached from everything that is going on around him. He truly lacked the charisma needed for the character.   The role of the Narrator had been split into three characters.  Lisa Huntington, Kadie Greenfield and Cathy Merlo have shared duties of the character, which didn't really translate that well to the stage.  Their performances were uneven, as some were stronger than others in some moments during the story.  It really took away from the show as it never created a lasting, much needed, powerful impression. There was a significant lack of chemistry between many of the main characters as well.  However, Joseph's 11 brothers did give a fun and enjoyable performance as a unit, especially during the big numbers, including "One More Angel In Heaven" and "Those Canaan Days". However, the rest of the cast, looked like they were just going through the motions.  A few did look like they were having fun, but it was not enough to create a strong production. It had potential to be more. 

Michelle Leibowitz had taken on the roles of director and choreographer, trying to balance both jobs.  As a director, she had made unusual choices, including spliting the aforementioned Narrator into three characters. This potentailly bold choice, again, didn't work as it was inconsistent and hurt the production. Her choreography choices were repetitive and lacked real originality.  Her staging was typical and she did manage to utilitize thespace appropriately. However, sometimes when something needed to be the focus of attention, ie the Phaorah, his placement raised the questions why he was not the main attraction and why was he not center stage?  She also utitlized five featured dancers, but their placement and usage was often distracting, taking away focus during scenes.  Karen Winkler's music direction was decent enough, but she and the orchestra would overpower the actors on the stage.  This was in conjunction with many sound issues that plagued the production as well.  This a rock musical, but there is no reason that the actors could be louder and the orchestra could pull back more.  Liz Peer's costumes were clever in their presentation, having everyone in collage-like tee-shirts as a base, but there was no consistency. Many characters were given lavish and fun costumes, whilst others had jeans and dissimilar footwear. It was distracting.  The set and lighting design lacked any real creativity. There were sandstone steps that were created, but the set almost looked unfinished. Granted, when Act 2 came along and the back pillars were switched from confusing stained glass windows to the Pharaoh's palace, the use of images from Boston and Massachusetts was very cute. However, the lighting design never went beyond lights on and lights off.  The story and big dance numbers were begging for different colors and gobos, but nothing was used and the whole look of the show was very flat.

There was so much potential for this show, but it never went beyond what was presented on stage.  With a few weak performances, low production value and confusing direction, this production fell short.  The story and score offers so much and all the pieces were there, but the show never brought anything powerful or memorable. Newton Country Player's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" fails to bring a potentially colorful and magical experience.