Cold War tensions and hot love triangle subject of CNY Playhouse musical
By Russ Tarby
Contributing Writer
When director Rob Searle first heard the concept album that eventually spawned the music “Chess” back in 1984, he became completely enthralled.
Searle, a talented musician himself, was blown away by the music written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the pop group ABBA and the lyrics by Tim Rice.
“The setting of the show during the height of the Cold War added an interesting twist and the perfect amount of tension to the ever-popular musical theater love triangle,” Searle writes in his director’s program note.
Searle helms a hard-working cast of 21 to stage a remarkably vibrant production of “Chess” running through April 28, at CNY Playhouse at ShoppingTown DeWitt.
The rock opera’s story focuses on a politically driven, Cold War-era chess tournament between two men — an American grandmaster and a Soviet grandmaster — and their struggle over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other.
That woman, Florence, is ably portrayed by Ceara Windhausen a gifted singer whose performance aptly blends power and passion. Blonde Paul Thompson portrays the American, Freddie, while dark-bearded Ben Sills plays the Russian, Anatoly. Their physical and vocal differences emphasize their antipathy – both at the chessboard and in the bedroom. And both actors display impressive pipes, with Thompson hitting all the high notes and Sills simmering in the lower registers.
In supporting roles, Garett Robinson uses a passable Russian accent to portray a Soviet bureaucrat. Christopher James plays a duplicitous media maven and white-gloved Stephen Gamba portrays The Arbiter.” Gamba’s character notably proclaims, “The game is bigger than its players,” a sentiment that holds true for the Cold War itself as much as for chess.
Kate Crawford doesn’t get the spotlight until Act 2, but when she does, she conveys a rare vulnerability as Anatoly’s wronged wife, Svetlana. And she does so with soaring vocals and subtle acting, especially evident in her duet with Windhasuen “I Know Him So Well.”
The show’s ensemble of 14 really bring this show to life, especially in dance sequences expertly choreographed by Shannon Tompkins. The Act 2 opener, “One Night in Bangkok,” is one of the show’s many highlights, as the hand-clapping dancers cavort under strobe lights as the catchy tune is punctuated by a brief but riveting trumpet solo.
Unfortunately, the program neglects to credit the musicians, but award-winning music director Abel Searor ably leads a talented octet to perform the sometimes bombastic score.
Searles sparse set design and Jane Garlow’s costumes complement each other with a consistent black-and-white motif occasionally offset by flashes of Soviet red or Southeast Asian hues.
One of this production’s pleasant surprises is the performance of a male quartet as red bow-ties and suspendered English civil servants in “Embassy Lament.” Kudos to Nathaniel and Isaac Betters, Tyler Iannuzi and Eric Zeigler for their spirited sense of humor in this welcome bit of comic relief.
“Chess,” produced by Korrie Taylor, runs at 8 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 19, 20 and 21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22; at 8 p.m. April 26, 27 and 28, at CNY Playhouse, located near the Macy’s entrance at on the second level of ShoppingTown Mall. Tickets cost $22 on Thursday and Sunday and $25 on Friday and Saturday; tickets can be purchased at cnyplayhouse.org or by phone at 315-885-8960.
