I agree wholeheartedly with your review a saw Tveit' s understudy who was fine if a bit lackluster
Outraged that there was no notice of the replacement - also found my box seat totally obstructed and only offered a booster seat after being admonished for standing in order to see the show
CYNICAL! Yes!! And Mayer is steeped enough in the genre that he should know to invest in it rather than comment on it.
I was actually wondering if I’d have had a more satisfying experience, at least emotionally, had I seen Tveit’s understudy, so I really appreciate your commenting.
I think it will largely be a test of Lea Michele’s box office power. As someone who likes the score, though, and always has a soft spot for flops, I do think there would be something sort of beautiful about Chess turning a profit in the same theater where it originally closed after two months…even if this is #NotMyChess.
I watched the performances on The Today Show and was immediately bored, which I figured was not a good sign. I love Chess (and I'm not a big fan of musicals in general) but I feel producing it is always a big problem to solve. I guess I'll keep enjoying my memories of the production at North Shore Music Theatre I saw as a teen.
Holy cats. Now that is some deep theater knowledge. I think it was that production; I just looked it up and found out there are a bunch of bootleg clips from that show online.
I lived nearby and saw a bunch of theater there; I was also in the 1990 Christmas Carol as one of the kids.
You would never program Melrose Place against another soap, that's prime time tv scheduling 101! MP was always a respite from sports, whatever geezer program was on CBS and sitcoms, there simply wasn't another show like it. Ironically, it was up against Seinfeld in its first season where it nearly died until it was retooled with one Eternal Guest Star, Miss Heather Locklear. Fox was always a counter-programming king, it's why it was able to field a show like Glee for so long.
I think everyone has a Darren Starr show that got away, mine is Grosse Pointe which was heavily based on his time working on 90210 and MP. Why most of his shows have a place in their title is beyond me.
I found Chess enormously disappointing as well. We were sitting mid orchestra and the sound was pretty abysmal - probably the worst sound design I've experienced in a while. Having the instrumentalists spread apart on different levels is not great for ensemble playing. The night I heard the show the orchestra was badly out of tune and the balances were quite askew. Thank you for your blog and letting me vent.
I completely agree about the sound design. The mix/balance was far below the standards Broadway should uphold. And when they rode the different levels, it was clear how much sound believed they had to lean into the American Idol aesthetic.
Thank you for the kind words, Harry! If you don’t mind elaborating, I’d love to know more about the ways in which you disagree. I promise I won’t respond with one of those comments that tries to dismantle each thing you say!
I agree wholeheartedly with your review a saw Tveit' s understudy who was fine if a bit lackluster
Outraged that there was no notice of the replacement - also found my box seat totally obstructed and only offered a booster seat after being admonished for standing in order to see the show
Looking forward to reading more of your work
The entire enterprise was lazy and cynical
CYNICAL! Yes!! And Mayer is steeped enough in the genre that he should know to invest in it rather than comment on it.
I was actually wondering if I’d have had a more satisfying experience, at least emotionally, had I seen Tveit’s understudy, so I really appreciate your commenting.
Christopher really powered through it
I wonder if it will find a sustained audience
I also didn't find the score all that compelling although
I think it will largely be a test of Lea Michele’s box office power. As someone who likes the score, though, and always has a soft spot for flops, I do think there would be something sort of beautiful about Chess turning a profit in the same theater where it originally closed after two months…even if this is #NotMyChess.
A) learned what a "second" is in Chess today.
B) maybe it's not worth sharing to you, but I am curious why you moved seats (other than just to see better).
C) if we make it to nyc this spring I will go to any show you'll take me to :) always a pleasure reading (today a lovely pre-nap read!)
I will text you…
I watched the performances on The Today Show and was immediately bored, which I figured was not a good sign. I love Chess (and I'm not a big fan of musicals in general) but I feel producing it is always a big problem to solve. I guess I'll keep enjoying my memories of the production at North Shore Music Theatre I saw as a teen.
Oh, wow! If that’s the production I’m thinking, it was directed by an early career Rob Marshall and starred the Little Mermaid herself, Jodi Benson.
Holy cats. Now that is some deep theater knowledge. I think it was that production; I just looked it up and found out there are a bunch of bootleg clips from that show online.
I lived nearby and saw a bunch of theater there; I was also in the 1990 Christmas Carol as one of the kids.
I don’t call myself a showmosexual for nothin’!
You would never program Melrose Place against another soap, that's prime time tv scheduling 101! MP was always a respite from sports, whatever geezer program was on CBS and sitcoms, there simply wasn't another show like it. Ironically, it was up against Seinfeld in its first season where it nearly died until it was retooled with one Eternal Guest Star, Miss Heather Locklear. Fox was always a counter-programming king, it's why it was able to field a show like Glee for so long.
Should we cowrite a book called The Starrs That Got Away about his flops?!? 😂
I think it's that the marketing reminds me of CBS's attempt to do their own version of Melrose Place, a guilty pleasure of mine that flopped called Central Park West. Check out this image... https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYmFjYTJhZmEtYjRkZi00MGIyLWFiZjctYzg0OTA2ODM3YWRkXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg
I think everyone has a Darren Starr show that got away, mine is Grosse Pointe which was heavily based on his time working on 90210 and MP. Why most of his shows have a place in their title is beyond me.
I found Chess enormously disappointing as well. We were sitting mid orchestra and the sound was pretty abysmal - probably the worst sound design I've experienced in a while. Having the instrumentalists spread apart on different levels is not great for ensemble playing. The night I heard the show the orchestra was badly out of tune and the balances were quite askew. Thank you for your blog and letting me vent.
I completely agree about the sound design. The mix/balance was far below the standards Broadway should uphold. And when they rode the different levels, it was clear how much sound believed they had to lean into the American Idol aesthetic.
I disagree with much of your review, however, your writing is always a pleasure to read—even when I disagree. Kudos!
Thank you for the kind words, Harry! If you don’t mind elaborating, I’d love to know more about the ways in which you disagree. I promise I won’t respond with one of those comments that tries to dismantle each thing you say!