Chess is a show which has had a mixed reception whenever it is performed be it amateur or professional - and my wife, Vivienne, and I have never been enamoured with the productions we have seen.

That was true until Saturday 31st May 1997, when we paid our first visit to GLOC and Questors, and I can truly say that we witnessed a remarkable exhibition of amateur theatre which would have put many a professional production to shame.

To quote Producer/Co-Director Gareth Bevan "I have had the privilege of overseeing what has been a real company effort. The company has worked extremely hard learning some very difficult music and using their imaginations in rehearsal to visualise how what we were doing would look in Questors"

I, and, judging by their reactions and comments, the audience, can wholeheartedly endorse those statements because it was obvious from the beginning that your hard work had paid off. Gareth told me after the show that he had avoided going to see other productions of this show so that he had no pre-conceived ideas, and this proved to be the right decision, as the staging was original and extremely effective, and the whole Production Design ensured continuity of the highest standard.

Stage Manager Paul Hayes, assisted by Beryl Bevan and their crew must be congratulated on interpreting Gareth's wishes so that the scene changes were slick and unobtrusive and did not detract from the action going on elsewhere.

In a production where timely movement is so important, Kirsty Smith, as Co-Director and leading Choreographer, achieved a visual effect of togetherness and understanding which was a delight to witness. Ably assisted on the choreography front by Helen Jackman-Morrissey, Rick Myrtle and Linda Kinghorn, this was an excellent team effort and one of superb co-ordination. A very high standard indeed.

This show must have been a nightmare to light, but I should have realised that Lighting Director Pete Balls would make an excellent job of this complicated task, as I have seen his work before. The cues were spot-on, the colours used highly appropriate and matched to the costumes, and the various levels individually lit to the utmost effectiveness. Excellent use of gobos too - splendid work, again, Pete.

I was pleased to see that no expense was spared on the sound front and Sound Director Paul Greenhalgh assisted by Operators Richard Eliot and Amanda Lean ensured that the sound was audible, unobtrusive and well-balanced between the soloists, the chorus and the orchestra. Some dialogue, however, was lost from the upper stage right rostrum - a minor point in view of the overall result achieved. Congratulations, Paul.

The Filming and Editing by Keith Spillett was well conceived and visually effective, and I was pleased to see that the monitors were placed in unobtrusive positions but easily seen by the whole audience. The Video Playback by Andrew Lumsden was timely and professional. I have now seen you in yet another guise, Andrew! What's next?

On the Costume and Wardrobe side, Karen Steel, Jaqueline Wood, Pam Smith, Barbara Myrtle, Beryl Bevan and Rick Myrtle did a fantastic job. All the costumes were beautifully co-ordinated and well-made. They looked ‘crisp’ and clean, which is no mean achievement for a last night performance, and it was obvious that they had been well cared for throughout the production run. Sympathetic consideration was given to the various sizes and shapes of the cast and the end result was stunning. A superb team effort, ladies and gentleman!

The Set Construction by Paul Hayes and his crew must have been a scaffolder's bad dream, and I can imagine the efforts it took to reach the final excellent product - I hope you were all wearing hard-hats because I have been on the receiving end of many a dropped nut or spanner! Well done to you all.

The Properties by Claudia Chaperlin were correct and appropriate to the era depicted - I hope that you managed to return all those items you begged, borrowed or stole, Claudia!

The Programme Design by Martin Wilcox was simple but effective and contained interesting editorial, as well as a good synopsis of the plot. It was refreshing to see the list of musical numbers in the order that they are performed within the various scenes. The typesetting was easy to read and thoughtfully displayed. I cannot help thinking, however, that with this level of production the expense of a 'glossy' print run and some colour would have been worthwhile. One other point - NODA have an annual competition for programme design in various classes and extra points are awarded if you reproduce the NODA logo as well as mentioning your affiliation. On the subject of logos, congratulations to Stephen Parfitt for his effective design.

*****

Musical Director Nick King must receive my highest accolade for what proved to be a musical masterpiece His effective interpretation of the original Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus score was a superb achievement, especially in view of some of the most difficult vocal arrangements ever written and the range required by some of the singers. Your hard work and dedication certainly paid off, Nick and I am sure that everyone benefitted from your coaching and were suitably appreciative.

As far as the orchestra was concerned, this must be one of the finest ensembles I have seen and heard in amateur theatre for a long time. They were completely together and well-balanced, and highly-disciplined - a very important fact especially as they were in full view of the audience. Lee Shiel is to be applauded for his dedication and hard work in his role as Rehearsal Pianist, and I am sure he felt rewarded for his efforts during the performance run. Incidentally, are Rob Fret and Ivor Bow their real names? If so, an interesting item for the NODA magazine. To the ladies and gentlemen of the orchestra, congratulations.

Now, on to the Principals:

Martin Wilcox (Frederick Trumper) Martin looked the part and portrayed this part extremely well. His movement was well-timed and effective, and his acting appropriate to the part he was playing. His singing was pitch-perfect, and he coped well with those numbers which were to the limit of his range The anguish he felt was brilliantly portrayed in his facial expressions. Good stuff, Martin.

Linda Hayes (Florence Vassey) What a demanding role this was - Linda was virtually on stage throughout and she coped admirably. She portrayed the various emotions felt by Florence convincingly, moved well and acted her heart out. Her diction was clear and her singing faultless. If I have to choose a favourite song, it was Heaven Help My heart, during which I will admit to a little moisture around my eyes! A brilliant interpretation of this part, Linda - I look forward to your next role.

Richard Gabriel (Anatoly Sergievsky) I should dislike you intensely, Richard, particularly as my wife considers you to be a bit of a 'hunk'. Nevertheless, your friendly NODA representative is supposed to be unbiased, so I must speak as I find and congratulate you on an excellent performance. You portrayed the struggle going on inside Anatoly's mind with the correct depth of feeling and your emotions were evident. Add to that some fine acting and singing of which you must be justly proud, and the end result is a superb portrayal.

Jim Simpson (Walter de Courcey) A well contrived interpretation of the pushy TV mogul who put his business interests before hump sympathy and understanding. Good acting with the right degree of brusqueness, and a pleasant singing voice, quite apparent in Diplomats. Nice one, Jim.

Sam Thomas (Alexander Molokov) San was perfectly cast in this part his make up was good and he was convincing. The underlying menace of his KGB employers was apparent where necessary, and he moved and sung well. He even walked like a Russian which goes to show the attention to detail he put in in order to achieve this fine performance. Excellent work, Sam.

Dave Roberts (The Arbiter) I recently saw Dave in an entirely different role, and can only endorse what I said in my report then. Dave, you have a fine future. Inially, my thoughts were that this part should be played by someone older, but these were soon dispelled when I saw what a mature performance Dave gave. He commanded attention from the beginning, his movement was splendid, especially those natural hand and arm actions - and an excellent speaking and singing voice too. I will be monitoring your progress with interest, Dave.

Karen Anstiss (Svetlana Segievskaya) Although a smallish part, Karen commanded presence as soon as she appeared on stage. Another example of perfect casting, as this was just how Svetlana should look and behave. Her singing was pitch perfect and her voice harmonised well with Florence in I Know Him So Well. Her facial expressions depicted her moods perfectly, and I am glad that you got your man back in the end, Karen.

Nikki Gerrard & Margaret Kilby (Roberta Fischer & Barbara Spassky) I have put Nikki and Margaret together in this instance, as they were a team and worked so well together. They both appeared to know each others moves perfectly, as well as their own. They looked and behaved just as they should as assistants to an American chess champion, and they moved and sang well. Well done, girls.

Doug Hill (Viigand) A nice little cameo role well acted and portrayed. I am pleased to see you had a bit more to do as a member of the Russian Delegation, Doug!

*****

The Pop Choir I will not list all the names individually, because this was another example of excellent teamwork. This hard-working chorus supported the principals so well - there were some beautiful harmonies and they sang 'as one'. Their moves were well choreographed without stretching their limitations, and they looked good in their co-ordinated costumes. If I ever get asked to find a backing group, I will know where to look. Thanks girls, you were great!

The Dancers Rarely have I seen such a team of well-choreographed and 'together' dancers who interpreted the action so magnificently. To get the moves to co-incide with what was going on elsewhere was a technical feat worthy of the highest esteem. The entrances and exits were timed to perfection, making the whole spectacle a visual delight. To get to that standard must have taken hours of painstaking rehearsal and the end result was stunning - congratulations to you all.

American Delegation, Russian Delegation, Civil Servants, Reporters et al There are too many of you to mention individually, but you can rest assured that you all did your bit to make this production such a success. Too often, parts such as these are not given enough attention by the Directors, resulting in scrappy movement and untimely action. Not so in this case, and it is obvious that you all worked hard to ensure that there was the required continuity - very well done.

*****

SUMMARY

As you can gather, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this production and we were immensely impressed with the staging and attention to detail, as well as the obvious camaraderie which was evident between all the members of the cast. The warmth you had for each other was reflected by the audience. who were positively buzzing and enthusing during the interval - I did not hear one word of criticism. My thanks to you all for making us so welcome and sincere congratulations to Gareth Bevan, Kirsty Smith and Nick King for a directorial triumph.

My best wishes to you all for continuing success.

KEN HOWARD
16th June 1997