www.billboard.com: When it comes to complex legacies, there are few musicals with a more confounding history than Chess. With its expansive pop-rock score created by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of pop supergroup ABBA and lyrics by theater legend Tim Rice, the show’s soundtrack has remained a staple for musical theater fans around the globe.
I was thrilled when this revival of Chess was announced, last year if I recall correctly. The Cold War period in general has always been fascinating to me, as the Soviet Union and the United States sought to project both hard and soft power beyond their borders, be it in proxy wars, or a race to the moon, or chess games. The other thing that was really exciting about this musical being announced was the music, written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, lead songwriters of ABBA. And then the cast was announced, a highly anticipated leading trio. What I’m most curious about however, is how this show will be designed and staged. It leaves a lot of room for creative design and interpretation. The setting of a game of chess, set against a dramatic backdrop of global and interpersonal conflict seems like it leaves a lot of room for creativity from the design team.
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