This story has been updated to reflect new information.
Coming up next on the Pioneer Theatre stage at the University of Utah is a performance slightly different than the usual season. “Chess” will be performed as a concert with a limited number of performances on March 10 and 11.
Originally written in the 1980s by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the popular band ABBA, “Chess” was a concept album that grew into a West End premier in 1986 and a Broadway production in 1988. More recently, “Chess” was produced and broadcast as a part of the PBS Great Performances program in 2009 that starred Josh Groban, Adam Pascal and Idina Menzel alongside the London Philharmonic.
“Chess” seems particularly topical given the country’s current state of political affairs. The story opens on a chess competition; the United States champion Frederick Trumper has come to defend his international title against the Russian Anatoly Sergievsky. Tensions are running high as Freddie attempts to provoke Anatoly at every turn, both on the board and off. Meanwhile, his alternate, Florence, tries to keep them focused on the game. On the other hand, Anatoly is losing patience with the propaganda and political nature of the event and quickly finds himself falling for Florence instead. In a match that mirrors the pressure of the Cold War, Anatoly and Freddie find themselves fighting with more than just a chessboard but with allegiances and loyalties shifting at every turn.
Pioneer is making innovative steps with their production and as a result, “Chess” will be performed as a concert. Unlike a full production, a concert includes a full cast and orchestra but with scripts in hand and minimal staging.
The cast includes Coleen Sexton as Florence, Michael Halling as Anatoly, and Matthew Hydzik as Freddie. Sexton is a seasoned Broadway performer who debuted as Lucy in “Jekyll and Hyde” at age nineteen, and she has continued her career in national tours of “Wicked,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Mamma Mia!”
Halling is no stranger to the PTC stage, having performed as Enjolras in the 2007 production of “Les Miserables.”
Hydzik most recently was seen as Josh Barton in the national tour of “If/Then,” as well as Broadway productions of “West Side Story” and “Grease,” and tours of “Rent,” “Fame” and “Grease.”
The cast also includes Ginger Bess as Svetlana, Matthew Stocke as the Arbiter, David McDonald as Molokov, and Christopher Higbee as Walter.
Tickets for “Chess” are available either at the Pioneer box office or online at www.pioneertheatre.org, and U students have the unique opportunity to “rush” the show, with tickets offered at $5 each, two per person. This rush option is available one hour prior to performances, and the most recent press release lists both of the Saturday performances as being the most likely to have availability. These rush tickets are limited, so be sure to show up as early as you can if you want to take advantage of this offer. Performances begin on March 10, followed by matinee and evening performances on March 11.