Back in December I mentioned that Chess – The Musical was heading back to London.
I went to see it last weekend at the impressive London Coliseum.
It was all I hoped it would be: great cast, extremely effective set, live orchestra and packed to the rafters with an enthusiastic audience. The lady next next me said it was her all-time favourite musical (I didn’t have the heart to tell her mine was Evita.)
One has to accept dramatic licence when it comes to the chess scenarios (and some of the information in the programme). For example, the players press the clock with a different hand to the one that moved the piece, which will probably bother some chess aficionados. My advice is to sit back, relax and go with the flow.
The story is loosely based on certain aspects of the lives of Fischer and Korchnoi plus, to a lesser extent, Karpov. The cast includes Michael Ball, X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke and Tim Howar.
The run is very short and it ends on 2 June, so book your tickets as soon as possible otherwise you will miss this incredible show.