Chess (musical) - Other Staged Productions, Concerts, and Recordings - 2012 - New York City, New York

New York City, New York

CHESS in Concept 2012 A benefit performance for the Actors Fund of America

On July 30, 2012 CHESS was presented in concert at La Guardia Arts/Lincoln Center for one night only. The cast included Broadway veterans Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde, Les Misérables, Spider-Man), Natascia Diaz (Capeman, Man of La Mancha), Drew Sarich (Les Misérables, Lestat, Rocky), and Tamra Hayden (Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret), who had previouysly appeared together in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Billed as "one last variation" this entirely through- sung version returned to the original Concept Album for its musical structure, Tim Rice's original scenario, and incorporated virtually all of the London score. Director/Arranger Christopher Martin (Founding Artistic Director of the Classic Stage Company) had been in discussions for a decade with Tim Rice about this approach to CHESS, focusing on the Russian and American players and the woman who manages one and falls for the other, played out against the heated US versus USSR rivalry during the Cold War.

CAST

The Russian Florence Vassy The American Svetlana Sergievsky Alexander Molokov The Arbiter Attachés

Robert Cuccioli Natascia Diaz Drew Sarich Tamra Hayden Raymond Jaramillo McLeod Gus Solomons, Jr. Scott Wakefield William Youmans

ENSEMBLE

Elizabeth Acosta Jennifer Babiak PJ Baccari Sarah Bierstock James Donegan Patricia Fletcher Arlo Hill Wolfgang Lanz Marca Leigh Lee Lobenhofer John Anthony Lopez Jennifer Montague Mark Montague Robert Lance Mooney Christopher Mueller Greg Pearl Scott Pearson Ereni Sevasti

Musical Director/Supervisor Valerie Sciarra Producer/Director/Arranger Christopher Martin

website: www.chessconcert2012.com

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French (London)