Chess: the Musical
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
New Book by Wayne S. Rossi
Based upon:
Chess. 2 disc album, released 1984. Available on Polydor Records. (Inspired by, songs.)
Chess. Prince Edward Theatre, London, 1986. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Book by Tim Rice. (Inspired by, songs, some dialogue.)
Chess. Imperial Theatre, New York, 1988. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Book by Richard Nelson. (Inspired by, songs, some dialogue.)
Chess. Theatre Royale, Sydney, 1990. Directed by Jim Sharman. Book by Tim Rice. (Inspired by, songs, some dialogue.)
Chess. National Tour, United States, 1990. Directed by Des McAnuff. Book revised for production by Robert Coe. (One scene inspired by.)
Chess. The Artist's Perspective, New York, 1992. Directed by David Taylor. Book by Tim Rice. (Some lyrical rewrites.)
Chess. Cirkus, Stockholm, 2002. Directed by Lars Rudolfsson. Book by Björn Ulvaeus, Lars Rudolfson, and Jan Mark. (Inspired by.)
The script that follows is based primarily on my extensive experience with and love of Chess the musical. The plot line is mostly derivative of the 1990 Sydney production, with significant alterations.
My work has been threefold. One, I have re-plotted the entire musical head to toe. The structure of the first act is initially heavily derivative of the London production, but once the "Terrace Duet" is over, it has turns inspired by Broadway, Sydney, and Stockholm in their time. The second act's structure is significantly new, though it owes more to Sydney than any other production.
Two, I have written a significant amount of new dialogue. I believe that I have lent Chess the style of dialogue it is most apt to have. There is some dialogue from London, Broadway, and Sydney, and many (though not all) scenes are adaptations of existing scenes with substantially new dialogue. The careful reader will notice several allusions to lyrics from songs that did not make it in the score.
Three, I have culled together lyrics and a score. With the exception of one single word ("terrace," ironically found in "Terrace Duet") every lyric here was written by Tim Rice. To me, the score represents the superior portions of the work as it has been written. The main thing I would like to see changed is for the "Someone Else's Story" reprise in Act II to be replaced by the song "Han är en man, han är ett barn" (Stockholm) in English, written by Tim Rice.
This work is presented here for evaluation purposes only. Under no circumstances is it to be performed. Chess is licensed exclusively by Samuel French, Inc., and may not be performed without prior permission. This revision, which is not licensed by Samuel French, Inc., is not intended as a challenge to this license or to any copyrights held by the authors. The new dialogue is copyright 2003 Wayne S. Rossi, and may not be performed in any context without express written permission of the author.
If you enjoy this script, please contact me at felianan@yahoo.com . I am a playwright and dramaturg, and my services are available to productions of Chess.
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
New Book by Wayne S. Rossi
Based upon:
Chess. 2 disc album, released 1984. Available on Polydor Records. (Inspired by, songs.)
Chess. Prince Edward Theatre, London, 1986. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Book by Tim Rice. (Inspired by, songs, some dialogue.)
Chess. Imperial Theatre, New York, 1988. Directed by Trevor Nunn. Book by Richard Nelson. (Inspired by, songs, some dialogue.)
Chess. Theatre Royale, Sydney, 1990. Directed by Jim Sharman. Book by Tim Rice. (Inspired by, songs, some dialogue.)
Chess. National Tour, United States, 1990. Directed by Des McAnuff. Book revised for production by Robert Coe. (One scene inspired by.)
Chess. The Artist's Perspective, New York, 1992. Directed by David Taylor. Book by Tim Rice. (Some lyrical rewrites.)
Chess. Cirkus, Stockholm, 2002. Directed by Lars Rudolfsson. Book by Björn Ulvaeus, Lars Rudolfson, and Jan Mark. (Inspired by.)
The script that follows is based primarily on my extensive experience with and love of Chess the musical. The plot line is mostly derivative of the 1990 Sydney production, with significant alterations.
My work has been threefold. One, I have re-plotted the entire musical head to toe. The structure of the first act is initially heavily derivative of the London production, but once the "Terrace Duet" is over, it has turns inspired by Broadway, Sydney, and Stockholm in their time. The second act's structure is significantly new, though it owes more to Sydney than any other production.
Two, I have written a significant amount of new dialogue. I believe that I have lent Chess the style of dialogue it is most apt to have. There is some dialogue from London, Broadway, and Sydney, and many (though not all) scenes are adaptations of existing scenes with substantially new dialogue. The careful reader will notice several allusions to lyrics from songs that did not make it in the score.
Three, I have culled together lyrics and a score. With the exception of one single word ("terrace," ironically found in "Terrace Duet") every lyric here was written by Tim Rice. To me, the score represents the superior portions of the work as it has been written. The main thing I would like to see changed is for the "Someone Else's Story" reprise in Act II to be replaced by the song "Han är en man, han är ett barn" (Stockholm) in English, written by Tim Rice.
This work is presented here for evaluation purposes only. Under no circumstances is it to be performed. Chess is licensed exclusively by Samuel French, Inc., and may not be performed without prior permission. This revision, which is not licensed by Samuel French, Inc., is not intended as a challenge to this license or to any copyrights held by the authors. The new dialogue is copyright 2003 Wayne S. Rossi, and may not be performed in any context without express written permission of the author.
If you enjoy this script, please contact me at felianan@yahoo.com . I am a playwright and dramaturg, and my services are available to productions of Chess.