Chess has returned, but was it an Anthem for the critics?
Booking through to June 2
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' Chess has returned to London's West End for the first time in 30 years. But, was it the Anthem that the critics were expecting?
The Express called the production 'spine-tingling' going on to praise Cassidy Janson, saying 'She is the emotion and emotional heart of the show and is flawless'. Time Out also praised Janson, who plays Florence in the show, saying 'Cassidy Janson is terrific'.
What'sOnStage was full of praise for West End legend Michael Ball saying that 'Michael Ball is in rafter-rocking mode as the hero, Anatoly Sergievsky, and his delivery of the great 'Anthem' is prodigious', with The Upcoming saying 'Michael Ball...proves once again why he is the West End's darling: his vocal stamina, tone and control are supreme'.
However, Chess didn't seem to hit the spot for everyone with the Evening Standard saying 'its predominantly Eighties atmosphere sits oddly alongside sharply contemporary projections and video designs' and The Stage calling the production 'wobbly and confused'.
A production can never please everyone but one this is for certain, Chess is back at long last!
