Chess in Concert 

Chess In Concert: Chess In Concert

Director:

Hugh Wooldridge

Writer:

Tim Rice (book)

Stars:

Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Josh Groban	...	Anatoly Sergievsky
Idina Menzel	...	Florence Vassey
Adam Pascal	...	Frederick Trumper
David Bedella	...	Alexander Molokov
Kerry Jane Ellis	...	Svetlana Sergievsky (as Kerry Ellis)
Clarke Peters	...	Walter de Courcy
Marti Pellow	...	Arbiter
Grant Anthony	...	Soloist
Christopher Colley	...	The Chess in Concert Company
Tiffany Davis	...	The Chess in Concert Company (as Tiffany Graves)
Leila Benn Harris	...	The Chess in Concert Company
David Michael Johnson	...	The Chess in Concert Company
Debbie Kurup	...	Soloist
Christian Lund	...	Leonid Viigand
Aoife Mulholland	...	Soloist

Storyline

Chess In Concert: Chess In Concert

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Genres:

Music

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heartaches, KQED

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal worked together as two of the original broadway cast of Rent.

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Quotes

Anatoly Sergievsky: [singing] How could I leave her? Where would I start? Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart. My lands only borders lie around my heart!

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Connections

Referenced in The Board Game (2012)

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Soundtracks

Global TV Fanfare
Written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson
Performed by The City of London Philharmonic Orchestra

User Reviews

Great Performances All Round

I've always been a fan of this musical and seen two travelling reps versions of it, both different and often wondered why the various producers had to "Update it" politically at various times. (references to what they built the Berlin Wall for by the British Embassy Staff" were altered and so on.

This was a refreshing change, following more or less the writings of Tim Rice Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson concept album. The extra songs and bits of dialogues filled in the missing pieces and made it a wonderful performance, my only regret was that most of the main cast in this version are Americans, not that I have anything against the people, but as it was co written by an Englishman, and recorded at The Royal Albert Hall, it would have been nice to have a fellow countryman playing and singing a major part possibly one of the Russians.(I know Svetlana (Kerry Ellis) comes from Suffolk in England and has a magnificent voice, but it is not as major a part as the rest.

In years before the Iron Curtain came down, whenever a film called for a Russiain, quite often it was a British actor that got the part.

I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone who has ever heard of Chess to see it as Tim Rice puts it as the definitive version of how it should be.

Just a shame the Film Studios rushed out to make Mamma Mia into a movie and not Chess as I can imagine it with its great settings and scenery. Perhaps after seeing this someone may just do that, I hope.