Chess: In Concert
Any Glee fans MUST see this filmed concert, especially for Idina Menzel (who, although she has obvious vocal strengths, occasionally reveals some bad habits - the danger of Broadway). Any chess players should, just for the atmosphere (no real chess moves/strategies are more than hinted at, and the actual moves are portrayed in interpretive dance). (I know - it sounds silly, but it's really quite amazingly beautiful). The musical speculates on a possible story around the cancelled 1979 match between Anatoly Karpov (Anatolij Sergievskij in the script, sung by the breathtaking Josh Groban) and Bobby Fischer (Freddie Trumper, sung by a brash and impressive Adam Pascal). Although most of the characters were imaginary, and any real people were heavily disguised, those two shadows fell unmistakably across the stage. The story involves several large "what ifs." It began with: what if they had actually played? and ultimately focuses more on the politics and relationships th...