PlayhouseSquare and Baldwin-Wallace College will end the American premiere of Chess - The London Stage Version at PlayhouseSquare's 14th Street Theatre May 2.
With music by
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics by
Tim Rice, this intimate rock concert will feature current students in the Baldwin-Wallace Music Theatre Program under the direction of nationally acclaimed director
Victoria Bussert, head of music theatre program at B-W. This is the third year for the collaboration between PlayhouseSquare, the Baldwin-Wallace Music Theatre program and the Baldwin-Wallace Arts Management Program.
In 2008, Bussert and PlayhouseSquare brought the regional premiere of Brooklyn to Cleveland, and in 2009, the first production of [title of show] outside of New York. This version of Chess will be the first production in the United States. "I was intrigued by doing the original London version, which is so different from the Broadway," says Bussert. "I felt the students were ready to vocally take it on. Chess is played on many levels in life, politically, romantically and the game itself. All of those are reflected in this production."
Chess is a highly acclaimed musical that develops the ancient and distinguished game of chess into a metaphor for romantic rivalries and East-West political intrigue. The principal pawns, a loutish American Grandmaster, an earnest Russian champion, and a Hungarian-American woman who arrives at the chess championships with the American and falls for the Russian, form a romantic love triangle.
The Players, lovers, politicians, CIA and KGB make their moves to the pulse of this monumental rock score, featuring the international hits "One Night in Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well."
Chess premièred in the Prince Edward Theatre in London on May 14, 1986 and closed on April 8, 1989. A massive hit in London, the production won the 1986 London Critics' Theatre Award for Best Musical, and received three 1986
Laurence Olivier Award nominations: Best Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Actor and Outstanding Performance by an Actress. The creative team re-imagined the show before it reached Broadway. However, the drastically altered production never caught on in New York and closed after 68 performances.
The show is double cast and includes senior Danny Henning and junior Kyle Szen as Freddie, seniors Jason Slattery and Corey Mach as Anatoly, seniors Devon Yates and Theresa Kloos as Florence, and freshman Ciara Harper and senior Hilaire C. Smith as Svetlana.
PlayhouseSquare performances of Chess - The London Stage Version are scheduled for Friday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 1 at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 and $20.00 and are available by calling 216-241-6000, online at playhousesquare.org or at
The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office.
ABOUT PLAYHOUSESQUARE
PlayhouseSquare Foundation is the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit which restored and operates the theaters at PlayhouseSquare, which comprise the largest performing arts center in the nation outside of New York City. PlayhouseSquare's mission is presenting and producing a wide variety of quality performing arts, advancing arts education and creating a theater district that is a superior location for entertainment, business and housing, thereby strengthening the economic vitality of the region.
ABOUT BALDWIN WALLACE COLLEGE
Founded in 1845 in Berea, Ohio, Baldwin-Wallace College was among the first to admit students without regard to race or gender. That spirit of inclusiveness and innovation has involved into a distinctive educational experience that combines B-W's historical strengths in the liberal arts with vast opportunities for internships, field experiences, study abroad, leadership opportunities, community service and regular mentoring. The result is an individual four-year B-W Action Plan that produces graduates distinctively equipped to meet the challenges of a changing world.
Baldwin-Wallace is one of a few liberal arts colleges in the nation with an internationally respected Conservatory of Music. The College enrolls more than 3,000 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs, as well as 600 part-time evening/weekend and 800 graduate students.
ABOUT THE ARTS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The Arts Management program directed by Bryan Bowser, Assistant Director of the Conservatory for External Affairs, at B-W prepares students to integrate the artistic and business elements of a career in the arts. Graduates of this program look to careers in the marketing, public relations, development, operations, fundraising, curatorial, front-of-house and education departments of not-for-profit and for-profit arts organizations including symphony orchestras; theater, opera and ballet companies; private dance studios; art museums and galleries; national, state and local
Arts Councils; foundations; presenting organizations; broadcast and cable television stations; film companies; and record labels.
ABOUT THE MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM
Music Theatre performance training at Baldwin-Wallace College is among the finest in the nation, with a dynamic curriculum focused on mastering a wide range of acting, voice, and dance styles. B-W performance faculty maintain active professional careers, giving B-W students a decisive edge in a competitive marketplace. Current students perform professionally in greater Cleveland, nationally, and on Broadway. Graduating students perform a Senior Showcase attended by over 200 industry professionals, and an overwhelming majority of graduates sign with agents shortly afterward.
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