Chess
by Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus

Director: Bruce Guthrie

Choreographer: Ben Hartley

Set and Video Designer: Andrzej Goulding

Costume Designer: Sophia Pardon

Lighting Designers: Imogen Clarke, Rob Halliday

Sound Designer: Mike Walker

Musical Directors: Nathan Feeney, George Jackson

Producer: Royal Academy of Music

Susie Sainsbury Theatre at RAM

Photographer: Craig Fuller

“A full blooded and magnificent experience"

LondonTheatre1.com [link]

“Andrzej Goulding does an excellent job at ensuring that the chess of Chess is evident in his set and video design, using live videography that was reminiscent of Jamie Lloyd’s Evita to effectively portray the live broadcasting throughout. Both Sophia Pardon’s costume designs and Imogen Clarke and Rob Halliday’s lighting designs help to reinforce the more political messages behind the work, and they work together to demonstrate the East-West divide that persists alongside the main story. Ben Hartley’s choreography works to highlight solo performances whilst also creating some wonderful moments as a group.”

All That Dazzles.co.uk[link]

“Tying all this together is the astute direction of Bruce Guthrie. Where his predecessors have felt empowered to rewrite the show, Guthrie respects the original source material. To make the show work, he applies a vice-like grip to the narrative through thoughtful choices of movement, phrasing and stagecraft, elegantly housed in Andrzej Goulding’s thoughtful and stunning set. The result is a show in which the story flows effortlessly and in which we can finally empathise with the complex central characters. His directorial choices show a deep understanding of the text, and his attention to subtle but important details is what gives this production its gut-punch finale.”

EverythingTheatre.co.uk [link]