Were You There?
August 10, 2001
Chess in Nyack NY

The opening night of Chess in Concert, at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, NY, has come and gone, and I have a few things to say. Firstly, I make my usual disclaimer - audience reaction to any theatrical performance is a subjective entity, and these are my views, and I do not push them on anyone!

That being said, here goes... Rob did not let us down! This was a performance of Chess, in concert form, not the show that had such a short and miserable life on Broadway - and as such, it was awesome! There was new and very dramatic lighting, and I found that it was a dynamic addition. The music, which has always been the lure for me, was again. The principals were Rob as the Russian, Anatoly, Brian D'Arcy James as the American, Freddy, Lauren Kennedy as Florence, Julia Murney as Svetlana, Guy LeMonnier as Molokov, and Danny Zolli as the Arbiter. Oh my, what beautiful music they all made together, and separately. Norm Lewis came into the mix on Friday, noon... and really aced the Narrator with his wit and charm.

One of the most touching, powerful, and moving songs in Rob's repertoire is Anthem, and oh my... it was all of those, and more. If you know Chess, you will know that there are duets with the two ladies... and they were at once tender, and as done by Rob, powerful.

Basically, readers, the show/concert is worth the trip to Nyack - and you have 2 more days to see it! I am not a critic, there are always those among you who could find opening night things to fault, so could I, but my aim is to whet your musical taste-buds, and get you to see this! So, you cannot fault my review until you see for yourself... Do, please.

Linda Russak

August 13, 2001

Just a closing review/report on the Helen Hayes Theatre production of Chess in Concert! O, my goodness - the opening night of any show, any place, is liable to have rough edges, a few raw spots that need fixing, and Chess did the fix in just two shows!

The sound, which was sorta rough on Friday night, was as pure and sweet as could be for the last two performances. The ensemble was heard, and their treatment of the lyrics was great. Rob's Anthem brought down the house, and in my view, almost the entire building! The duets were done with incredible tenderness. "Molokov", as sung by Guy LeMonnier, was even more sinister, "Bangkok" was more frenetic!

In short, it was a great finish. A lot of people came to Nyack to see Chess on Friday - it is a tribute to Rob Evan, Philip Hoffman, Neil Berg, and the company that many came back on Sunday - and brought friends!

Linda Russak