The nation’s premier Asian American theater, East West Players, is celebrating its 47th anniversary season with a production of CHESS, which is a musical based on the book by Richard Nelson with lyrics from Sir Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Aida), and composed by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (ABBA, Mamma Mia!).
CHESS “involves a romantic triangle between two top chess players – an American and a Russian – and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. All of this takes place within the context of the Cold War, as both countries vie for international chess victories for propaganda purposes.”
You may recognize some of the songs from the awesome 1980’s pop-rock soundtrack that Time Magazine called “one of the best rock scores ever produced.” CHESS introduced a few hits, including “I Know Him So Well” and “One Night in Bangkok”, which Mike Tyson sings at the end of The Hangover 2.
Opening night is May 15, 2013 at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts, located in the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles.
Check out our interview with the cast from East West Players’ production of CHESS:
Go HERE to purchase tickets for CHESS.
Noteworthy: there will be a pay-what-you-can performance of CHESS on Thursday, May 16, 2013, at 8pm; perfect for students and starving artists who still want to go out and have fun!
~Andrew Chen, AOF Staff Writer and 2nd grade checkers champion
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