Chess- The Musical, will make its Western Australian debut at the Perth Concert Hall with two exclusive performances on 5th June 2021.
Featuring the iconic music of ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and lyrics by Tim Rice & Bjorn Ulvaeus and book by Tim Rice, the worldwide stage hit has never had a professional presentation in Western Australia previously.
Known as the orchestra that breaks the rules, Perth Symphony Orchestra will co-present with StoreyBoard Entertainment, producer of the critically acclaimed Barnum directed by Tyran Parke in Melbourne in 2019.
Chess – The Musical is inspired by extraordinary real-life events and first premiered to glowing reviews in London’s West End in 1986 starring the beloved Elaine Paige.
The West End season ran for three years, resulting in a BBC listener poll ranking it seventh in a list of ‘Number One Essential Musicals’ of all time.
Featuring hits including I Know Him So Well – which was recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest selling UK chart single ever by a female duo – and the upbeat pop favourite One Night in Bangkok, music from work is known the world over.
Chess – The Musical tells the story of a complex love triangle combined with dramatic political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the early 1980s, where Soviet and American forces attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political gains.
While the show was a great success in the West End back in 1986 it suffered a few set backs during its development. Originally it was to have been directed by Michael Bennett but he had to withdraw due to poor health, and sadly he passed away of an AIDS related illness in 1987. Trevor Nunn stepped in and took over the production.
When the show moved to Broadway it was completely rewritten and rather than being mainly music, a substantial amount of dialogue was added for American audiences. This made the show run for over three hours, and it only lasted for 17 previews and 68 regular performances. Over the years the work has been redeveloped several times.
The Perth performances of the latest version of the musical, which recently premiered in Moscow, will feature the London West End orchestrations with full twenty-five-piece orchestra. The Perth cast for this semi-staged concert style event will be announced in February 2021.
Waitlist Now Open: www.chessmusical.info. General Public Tickets on sale from 9am 4 December 2020.
OIP Staff
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