Friday, 26 February 2021
CHESS The Musical
8:00 pm until 10:45 pmCivic Theatre Newcastle
375 Hunter St, Newcastle, NSW, 2300
Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice’s epic political love story hits the Civic Theatre stage for the first time ever.
Starring DAVID HARRIS and SILVIE PALADINO. Featuring a 37 piece orchestra and a 200+ voice choir.
Written in 1984 by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice, Chess tells a story of love and political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the late 1970s/early 1980s, in which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.
Two of the world’s greatest chess masters, one American, one Russian, are in danger of becoming the pawns of their governments as their battle for the world title gets under way. Simultaneously their lives are thrown into further confusion by a Hungarian refugee, a remarkable woman who becomes the centre of their emotional triangle. This mirrors the heightened passions of the political struggles that threaten to destroy lives and loves.
Includes the international hit singles ‘I Know Him So Well’ and ‘One Night In Bangkok’. Other well-known songs from the score include ‘Anthem’, ‘Someone Else’s Story’, ‘Heaven Help my Heart’ and ‘Pity The Child’.
DIRECTOR Erin James
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Dan Wilson
CHOIR MASTER Kim Sutherland OAM