Willows Theatre Co. brings ‘Chess the Musical’ to life - The Benicia Herald

Theater review by Elizabeth Warnimont
Special to The Herald

The Willows just keeps getting better.

Last spring, Willows Theatre Company artistic director Eric Inman had a hit on his hands with “Chicago,” performed at the company’s cabaret theater in downtown Martinez. Then came “King O’ the Moon,” an endearing drama set in 1969 Buffalo, N.Y., that boasted a top-notch cast and production crew, performed at the main stage theater in Concord. Most recently, the troupe reprised their rendition of the popular horror-film spoof, “Evil Dead: The Musical” to rave reviews this summer.

This month, Inman has taken on Tim Rice’s intellectual “Chess the Musical,” loosely based on the Cold War-era world championship chess match between American Bobby Fischer and defending world champion Boris Spassky of Russia. “Chess” involves some intricate choreography and a slew of fast-paced songs (32 in all), and it requires some quick set changes and, at times, equally quick costume changes.

In other words, a difficult piece of theater — and Willows proved up to the task, its cast giving a great perfomance and the accompanying six-piece orchestra, led by music director Rachel Robinson, commendably following along with accuracy and feeling and never overwhelming the actors.

The musical starts off with an overture performed by the entire ensemble. Right away, the audience is treated to a surprisingly powerful scene, with detailed costume design (Sharon Bell), sharp choreography (Staci Arriaga) and strong and well-balanced singing. The lyrics describe the scene: American chess master Freddie Trumper (Joseph Brunicardi) vies for the world championship against title holder Anatoly Sergievsky (Actors’ Equity Association member Zachary Franczak) of Russia. It is 1972, the thick of the Cold War, and the stakes couldn’t be much higher.

ANATOLY breaks the bad news to his wife (Rebecca Pingree as Svetlana).
Judy Potter photo

For Freddie, it seems to be all about his own fragile ego. For Anatoly, it seems to be nothing more than a great personal and intellectual challenge. For the government agents assigned to them, on the other hand, the chess masters are themselves pawns in a much bigger political contest between two world superpowers.

After the overture, Ruben Rivera further expounds on the story as “The Arbiter,” a role that sounds more central than it is. The intrigue surrounding the climactic chess match lies almost entirely in the scheming of the government agents assigned to the players, namely Walter Anderson (John R. Lewis) and Ivan Molokov (Equity actor Jesse Caldwell).

Inman chooses to emphasize the role of Florence Vassy (Equity actor Lena Hart), the woman who finds herself directly in the middle of the conflict. She is Freddie’s manager and second, but finds herself falling in love with his opponent, thus unwittingly throwing herself directly into the political fire.

Hart manages the highly challenging part with power and effectively subtle emotion. She has a whole lot of singing to do, and a voice that handles it all with little hint of strain.

Brunicardi is the tabloid composite of his real-life counterpart, American chess master Bobby Fischer: spoiled, egomaniacal and volatile. The tension between him, Hart and Lewis is keenly felt as all three embody the complex personalities of their characters. Franczak is also strong as the romantic but chess-obsessed Sergievsky, about whom we are left to wonder just how much he knew about the way things would turn out in the end.

Franczak may be a bit quiet it the lowest registers, but his commanding, operatic quality becomes apparent beginning with “Anthem,” at the end of the first act.

Rebecca Pingree gives a compelling performance as Svetlana Sergievsky, the woman who is apparently separated from Anatoly. Pingree appears collected, demonstrating a restrained passion for her husband. Devastated at the prospect of losing him permanently to the American interloper, she nevertheless appears cool and accepting in her conversations with both of them.

All three do well in “You and I,” and Pingree and Hart are at their vocal best in “I Know Him So Well,” in the middle of Act Two.

The Willows troupe’s creative staging, thoughtful costuming and love-story focus are exactly the right ingredients to bring this difficult play to life. The gifted cast fills out a very entertaining and interesting production.

Inman took quite a chance with this large-scale and under-appreciated work. The investment paid off.

If You Go
“Chess the Musical” continues at the Willows Theatre in Concord through Oct. 30. Tickets are $22 to $32 and are available by calling 925-798-1300 or online at www.willowstheatre.org. 

Elizabeth Warnimont holds a BA in Germanic language and literature from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She is currently a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.