Thursday 15 September 2016

Sky’s Musical Corner – What I Actually Do in CHESS




Tomorrow is the premiere, I can’t wait!!!

From my previous posts about CHESS you probably remember that I’m in the big choir and some smaller choirs. Let me explain it a little bit though.

There are two main female roles: Florence (the American) and Svetlana (the Russian). The show is about the chess world championship, but also love and war. I look just too young for these roles, it just wouldn’t make any sense.


When I auditioned I just wrote down choir. I actually regretted that afterwards, because I really wanted to be in the pop choir (they sing a lot of backing vocals in the principal’s songs). In the end I didn’t make the pop choir, there are only three sopranos in it and they are all definitely stronger singers than I am, so it’s ok. But yes, I was sad at first.


So, I am in the big choir. The big choir sings the Ouverture, Merano, Hymn and the Endgame. The Ouverture is actually also the beginning of the Endgame. Obviously the Ouverture is at the beginning of the show. I then will stand in the front row and we won’t move at all. The Ouverture moves into Story of Chess. This is sung by a smaller choir of 20 people. We move around on the chess board as chess figures, I’m a pawn. The movements we make have nothing to do with the actual movements the figures are allowed. We also get microphones in this number. I think this is my favourite of my numbers, because I actually get do do a choreography.


After the Story of Chess comes Merano. The American Chess player Freddie arrives in Merano and we get to greet him. It’s a very happy and cheerful song, we are all excited that he is here. It’s kind of a welcome song and also a song to introduce Merano. I’m the flower girl in this song. In Story of Chess we have to wear black and white and here I need flowers and a big scarf. I have about 10 seconds to change and throw the scarf over my shoulders, wish me luck. Well anyway I have flowers for Freddie, but he doesn’t want them and then I give it to the stage manager coming on stage (very confused). It’s actually fun, because my dad is the stage manager.


After Merano I have a break until the Hymn. It’s the officially hymn sung by the whole cast, before the chess tournament starts. It’s a very short song. I’m actually standing at the back for this song, because I’m already dressed for the song that comes right after. It’s Merchandisers, I get to sell chess merchandise there and be a bit crazy. I’m wearing American shorts here and get to sell … It’s a fun song and we get to move a bit as well.


After that I’m done for the first act and actually until the end of the second act, where Endgame starts. The endgame is split into four parts. The first part is the same is in the Ouverture, where we just sing names of Chess players, who won the tournament once. In Endgame 2 I’m in a smaller choir, the big choir doesn’t sing there, just the principals, the pop choir and this smaller choir. We just get to sing some Ahhhs in the background. Endgame 3 is only sung by the Russian player and the Endgame 4 is sung by everyone. There is actually a little scene afterwards, but then comes the final where we sing the backing vocals of Anthem, sung by Florence.
So you see, that’s what I get to do. I’m really happy with it and it’s so much fun being on stage!



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