Chess (or as I like to call it, Mamma Mia’s long lost older sibling) is an anomaly of musical theatre. The plot of Chess follows a rivalry between an American chess grandmaster and a Russian chess grandmaster as they become political pawns amidst the tension of the Cold War. Written as a concept album with incredible music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, but mediocre lyrics by Tim Rice, all attempts to connect the songs with a stage-worthy plot have crashed and burned. This is surprising since songs from the original 1984 concept album–such as “I Know Him So Well” (linked below)–topped European charts. In this edition of Sound Check, we’ll take a look at the good, the bad, and the political of Chess.

The Good

Of course, the music by the two dudes from ABBA is outstanding. The beat of “One Night In Bangkok” is dance-inducing, even though the lyrics are… questionable, and the swelling instrumentals of “Someone Else’s Story” (added for the 1988 Broadway production) make you want to stand up and pretend you’re performing for a sold-out opera house. While all versions of the plot have many holes (especially the romance aspects), there’s clearly something about the show that works enough to warrant continued revivals.

The Bad

Tim Rice’s lyrics are a roller coaster of offenses. “One Night In Bangkok,” which describes the setting of the Act II chess tournament, is full of xenophobic remarks from both the American and the Russian. In “Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility),” the Russian derogatorily accuses the American of being gay, which comes completely out of the blue and is never relevant again. Not to mention, Florence (the main love interest) faces constant discrimination from the American due to her gender, and while the original Broadway production included the song “How Many Women” in which Florence briefly stands up to the American, the American is supposed to be the hero in the Broadway version despite being an avid misogynist. This also doesn’t make sense considering Florence and the American are in a relationship throughout Act I and the American made her his second at a time when it was rare for women to be involved in chess. In terms of the forced romance plots, the original concept album and British version do not include the song “Someone Else’s Story” to introduce Florence’s feelings of dissatisfaction in her relationship with the American, so Florence running away with the Russian does not make any sense. The addition of the song in the Broadway/American version was smart, but in the 2012 concert version, the song is given to the Russian’s wife, which again does not make any sense. Despite a brief sub-plot in the Broadway version with Florence meeting a man who deceitfully claims to be her long lost father, the women are only in the show to serve as love interests, and it is very clear that Tim Rice does not know how to write a plot or lyrics that allow women to be anything other than that.

Politics

For a show that allegorically represents the Cold War, it sure tries to be apolitical. The only explicit stance is found in “Nobody’s Side,” a song in which Florence sings “Everybody’s playing the game / But nobody’s rules are the same / Nobody’s on nobody’s side.” However, the creative team of the show did pick sides when producing the Broadway version. In the original West End/British production, the Russian won both the Act I and Act II tournaments, while the Broadway/American adaption, the story is changed so that there is only one tournament and the American wins. If you’re going to make a show about politics, at least have something clear to say about it.