#like there was things to pick apart about both options (she knew vs she didnt) & i dont haate what ew did necessarily

[valfruits-archived]

(in the context of the like constant comparisons about whether which one was worse or more justified btwn venat & emet) the only framing (of venat's actions as terrible) that i can get behind is that it was the final nail that resulted in this entire civilization/culture being gone/lost and how thats always a tragedy. but even then the text (prior to some things ew did that im ambivalent about) presents the situation like the ancients were already on this unstoppable path to tragedy (continuously sacrificing their own dwindling numbers in attempts to fix things) and venat & her group were basically responding to that by putting their feet down and saying "you cant do this anymore" and thats very different from the situation w emet & his fellow maladjusted pathetic evil sad men. like i think its disingenuous to compare venat/her group looking at their own civilisation & saying they would oppose it because it was going down a path they thought was unconscionable vs the ascians condemning multiple other worlds/cultures/etc to extinction bc they thought it was worth it if they got theirs (this is a comparison i see a lot and its frustrating bc theyre really not the same situation at all & yet...)

[a-love-poet-at-heart]

chess 03 american concert really had their cake and ate it too plot wise instead of just choosing Broadway or West End. They went with a West End plot but with a Broadway plot touch up, (which pretty cool its so west end since it happened in America). Like it is a Disservice to it to just say the plot is Broadway based

cause like the first act is normal West End stuff until the end where Freddie actually loses his title. He didnt quit and abdicate, Anatoly won fair and square and Anatoly was crowned champion and defects. Then Second act is in Bangkok for another championship, pretty West end yea?, but Freddie is the challenger not the Chekov’s gun of Viigand. Now the rest of the second act is super West end plot, like they even have the Interview and an almost full version of The Deal song, but also include the Freddie Goes Metal song from Broadway. Obviously first they change who sings the interview and has Freddie’s parts given to the ensemble/chorus and interestingly enough the Deal gives half of Freddie’s part to Walter. Walter talks to Anatoly and tells him about The Deal and to throw the Game. He gets told he’s total shit, then Freddie talks to Florence and is rebuked. And for the Freddie goes Metal/A Whole New Board game, it happens right after The Interview but after Freddie gloats, Florence shows up, having heard it all, and says that part she already said in Florence Quits and is later reused in The Deal, “Who'd ever think it?/Such a squalid little ending/Watching you descending/Just as far as you can go/I'm learning things I didn't want to know”. Now this is how they transition to Pity the Child.

Now for the ending! Endgame is Weird. It has bits of both versions. The bit between Walter and Molokov is actually the West End version. Molokov talks about “having trust in one’s player” and “working for one who believes in loyalty, heritage, true to his kind come what may”. With Walter following up with “your late unlamented employee knows winning than the only thing won is the chess”. Then we have Florence say her bit, then Anatoly his. But then we switch gears and do the broadway endgame. Freddie says his lines about thoughts straying and Florence being Anatoly’s messes with him. Then its Anatoly’s part but its sung by a mix of Florence and Svetlana

Anatoly jumps back in with his part about her and her father and about “living his life alone then feel like I had harmed her”. Then Anatoly throws the Fucking Game. Freddie wins, the Dethroned King is Back with shouting Check and gloating to Florence about her backing the wrong side like the Broadway version.

now as the second act was mostly West End based there was no Fake Father and his lullaby. And when Walter and Florence talk after the You and I reprise its a mix of plots with the “IF he’s still alive” and “we dont know For Sure” from the West End but with the “we got recovered some key agents” from the Broadway plot.

Also as this fits in nowhere before, but they do remove The Soviet’s Machine which is understandable. But a bit disappointing as its giving Molokov less to do and I like that song, but Understandable. Also they fully cut out Commie Newspapers/Press Conference so its Merano, Freddie’s Entrance, Merano reprise, Anatoly and Molokov, Where I want to be then Us vs Ussr. And the show’s first real song is Merano. Before it is just the overture and plot details from The Narrator Arbiter. The Story of Chess is sandwiched between Anatoly and Florence talking after the Endgame and the You and I reprise. So Pretty Weird.

Now this whole version is pretty interesting as Freddie actually loses and comes back but gets no redemption arc. He says he has changed in The Deal but he hasn’t, he showed that earlier by basically blaming Florence for his loss in the first act during Freddie Goes Metal. (I like that that song parallels the Florence Quitting in the First act with Florence reusing song lyrics) Another interesting thing is during the Deal where after Molokov says that Florence might not believe Walter and his bluff of her father being alive he says “There are others to call in to assist us”. Which is kinda weird as its Walter going to Anatoly to tell him to throw the game. I guess this could also pertain to Freddie since when he is groveling to Florence he directly says “in return I’ll show you all that they know in Moscow” and “he won’t help you, he won’t throw the match”. Which makes me question why Freddie is so happy when Anatoly makes a “mistake” in the Endgame as he directly knew about The Deal and the possibility of Anatoly throwing the match. But since he was so confident he wouldn’t throw the match I shall say that Freddie believes that Anatoly actually messed up and didn't throw the game, but just happened to lose.

Side note: Odd that 2 songs earlier Freddie spoke to the Press so confidently blaming Florence for his loss and saying how better he was without her, when she could have still read that in the papers later instead of hearing it from his own mouth if she wasn’t there. So she still would have heard Freddie Bad Mouth her. And then during The Deal he just grovels, says he’s changed and asks for her back and says “they will bring back the Golden Era”.

Also really weird for during the Endgame Walter still says “Though it gives me no satisfaction” before talking about how if Anatoly wins he only wins the game. He and Molokov are on the same side, get Anatoly to lose, then Profit. But from that line, it seems he believes that Anatoly will not want to win the game. And with Molokov’s saying that how easy the game is when you trust your player. In the West End plot Molokov’s lines are about Viigand and him just gloating to Walter while Walter says that he hates to admit it, its better for Anatoly to lose the match. Now Molokov’s lines are about Anatoly, who doesnt have loyalty to his people as he just defected, so odd that Molokov is suddenly saying he trusts him and odd that Walter would hate to admit to Molokov that its best for Anatoly to lose the match. Now you could argue that Molokov was saying it sarcastically or hypothetically or he was talking about Walter’s perspective as I guess Anatoly is now Walter’s man. So it would make sense for Walter to basically say “No actually, you’re wrong I don’t trust him, I think he will lose”. But that seems very odd to me as before it is shown that Walter and Molokov are both on board with Anatoly losing, especially more so when you find out he recovered some key agents since Anatoly threw the match.

Also interesting is how Florence and Svetlana are apart of the Endgame and sing Anatoly’s lines. Now with Svetlana’s lines it there seems to be two interpretations, first that if Anatoly went back to her she would not take him. “Is this [being married to Anatoly] the life I need?” She says he is selfish and childish but ends it with saying me, “Those around me bleed to death”. So I see that as the people bleeding to death is her children, so she is harming her children by choosing life with Anatoly. The other option is that Svetlana was always talking about herself, just like originally Anatoly was talking about himself when he said those lines. She’s blaming herself and chess itself for Anatoly’s actions. Personally I do not like this so, I’m going with the first option.

Overall, I kinda like this version of Chess. Nice that they didn’t just pick a plot, but changed things up and mixed things together. Didn’t add anything really new to Chess, like the Kennedy Center Production. Also interesting they mostly used the West End plot instead of Broadway when it happened in America. Personally I didn’t like Freddie not changing and no redemption arc for him, but I just have a soft spot for him.

There are some techinical problems with the production, mics not being on at the right time, some fumbling with words, the orchestra coming in too early and drowning out Freddie when during his small dialogue before the second chess game of the first act, Adam Pascal’s mic going off for a few lines during One Night in Bangkok. Also I think Walter flubbed a line during the Deal cause he says “we all stand to lose, you, me, the lady also” so