Chess

I felt that they had all of the ingredients for a great musical, but the meal came up short. They had 3 all-star headliners, but rather than them complementing each other, it felt as though they were competing (unintentionally) with each other for the spotlight.

Nicholas Christopher stole the show for me, he was spectacular. Lea Michelle was great, but I felt she didn't show very much emotion, and I also felt that she had WAY too many of what I would consider "ballads", but not sure if that's correct. There were at least 4 times when I thought "Someone Else's Story" was starting, but it turned out to be other solos that all felt the same to me. Aaron Tveit was great too, but I personally just like his character in Moulin Rouge much better than the "American asshole" he plays in Chess.

In addition to 3 all stars, the chorus was massive, unnecessarily. I did enjoy the choreography and when the whole cast/chorus was singing together, but overall it felt too busy. There were also 4 or 5 minor characters in addition to the 3 stars and the massive chorus, and while they all had distinct roles/stories, it again just felt like they threw all of these ingredients into a stew without thinking about which ones actually might go well together. The philosophy felt more like "more is better".

I wasn't a big fan of their use of the narrator in this show. I don't mind a narrator - I think Hermes in Hadestown is a fantastic role - but I felt that the overall progression of the plot relied too heavily on the narrator. The narrator usually said things in a cheeky, satirical way, which I think distracted from the fact that they were essentially pressing fast forward on the plot during these moments. Maybe I'm of the opinion that a great story shouldn't need to explain itself in this way, and should be "shown" rather than "told".

I was pleasantly surprised/impressed by how they incorporated the actual chess gameplay into the show. It's not like you can have a normal-sized chess board on stage, or even show it on the big screen. Instead, I thought it was brilliantly done how they integrated the characters' thoughts, worries, etc. into the taking of turns during a match.

Overall, I had very high expectations for Chess, and while those expectations were not quite met, I still enjoyed the show and would even see it again if I got a good opportunity.