As a fan of the Swedish pop group ABBA, I have a fascination with the musical Chess by ABBA composers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus that they wote with lyricist Tim Rice.
The show is back on Broadway after nearly 4 decades and to date, the show is doing very well setting ticket sale records.
Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher from Chess recently appeared on The Tonight Show to perform a medley of songs from the show.
Chess debuted in 1986 in London's West End and is very much a thing of it's time. The story involves a politically charged, Cold War-era chess tournament between American and Soviet grandmasters and their love for the woman who is the manager of one player but is in love with the other.
Chess gained noteriety outside the theater districts of London and New York City with the release of the #1 single, One Night in Bangkok performed by show star Murray Head.
FUN FACT: Murray Head is the older brother of Anthony Head who was Rupert Giles in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was Mr. Finch in the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion".
Several attempts have been made to stage Chess in various cities all over the world with varying degrees of success. Theater critics have generally not been kind in their reviews, usually centering on objections to the story.
What is never in doubt is love for the music of Chess which has intriqued performers for years. Josh Groban recorded the songs of Andersson, Ulvaeus and Rice for an album and performed them in concert.
Here is Josh Groban with Anthem from Chess.
The Broadway revival features a new book by Danny Strong which he feels finally cracks the persistent criticisms that have plagued prior productions of Chess.
I'm glad to see Chess getting another lease on life on Broadway and so far, the box office has been great and early word on the show itself is that it's amazing.
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