What: For a rock musical about international Cold War chess competitions, Chess is remarkably resilient. I've seen it work brilliantly under all sorts of conditions: fully staged; in a cabaret where the actors doubled as the waitstaff; as a posh minimal concert-style production; and even with the first and second acts flipped.
After all, there's plenty to work with -- gorgeous, hooky music (from half of ABBA); Russian subterfuge; the threat of imminent nuclear war -- you know, the sort of stuff that never goes out of style. (Ahem.)
How to get it: I strongly suggest rolling around in all two hours of the original cast recording.
And join me in hoping that the recent Kennedy Center revival of Chess gets its planned Broadway transfer. The last time I was so hyped after seeing a preview show was Hamilton in 2015.
Connection to previous Wreckage: I mentioned Chess as part of List #54: Some Comfort When You're Sick.
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