Arts & Culture

CHESS the Musical to Audition Dancers for AIDS Benefit Held at the Ford Amphitheatre

Cash for your car

The Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles will host a benefit performance of CHESS on September 17, 2007.  The Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus musical, produced by Brian Michael Purcell will be performed at the outdoor venue to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. (Two more dancers are still being sought as of 8/12.)

CHESS the Musical 

This special event will star Tony-nominee Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, Triumph of Love), Kevin Earley (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Les Miserables), Cindy Robinson (Into The Woods, Carousel, Peter Pan), Thomas Griffith (The Best Little Whorehouse Texas, 1776 at Hollywood Bowl), Eric Kunze (Jesus Christ Super Star Nat’l tour, Miss Saigon), Tom Schmid (Annie Get Your Gun, The Last Empress) and Matthew Morrison (The Light in the Piazza, Hairspray tour, 10 Million Miles) with Musical direction by Dan Redfield (Little Women) and  Emmy  Award winning choreography by A.C. Ciulla (Footloose, Tony nomination).

First performed in 1984, the stunning intelligent demanding musical went through several changes. CHESS centers around a chess championship involving an American and a Russian. The chess game becomes more than just a chess game. Lives are at stake. Political emotions tear at the core, threats become more than just a game piece across a board, and lives are twisted from competing emotions.

This cutting edge, multimedia benefit event will be presented in honor of director and choreographer Jim Alexander, who died on May 25th, 2007 of heart failure. Jim had conceived the idea for this special event. Alexander was the former Producing Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma.  He received numerous awards and critical acclaim for his productions of West Side Story, Song and Dance, The Pirates of Penzance, A Chorus Line, Evita, Godspell, The World Goes ‘Round, Man of La Mancha, An Inspector Calls, Always…Patsy Cline, Peter Pan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Die Fledermaus, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on The Roof and Jesus Christ Superstar.  He had most recently directed Song and Dance: Tell Me on a Sunday, starring his wife, Cindy Robinson, which opened on February 24th, 2007 in The Deaf West Theatre in North Hollywood. He was also the Founder and CEO of The Quest Theatre Company.

Producer Purcell wrote: "After the show that night (Song and Dance) we all went out for dinner and Jim and I started talking about the theatre business. It was like I was talking with another me. In the midst of our conversation Jim brings up that the next show he wanted to produce which was Chess.  Originally, Jim had talked to me about playing Freddie opposite Cindy in the production and I was very much interested. I also told him that I have a production company and why don’t we co-produce. He became very interested.

We came to an agreement about ideas for the cast, the look and concept of the show, etc. For the next month we had numerous lunch and phone meetings, we even looked at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood and fell in love with space and put a hold on it. Everything was going smoothly and the collaboration was on. I felt like we had been working with each other for years….(On the morning I learned that) Jim Alexander had suffered a fatal heart attack, I was speechless and cried for hours. I had not only lost a partner and mentor but a close friend. I could not even imagine how Cindy was feeling. But out of the darkest moments must come the light. I drove to the Ford that morning and put down the deposit for the show. I pulled myself as an actor out of the show and now I was in Jim’s shoes as Director and Producer. This is what Jim wanted and what he lived for. So there was no way I was not going to put this show on. It had meaning before being a fundraiser for BC/EFA, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, but now it has even more meaning and heart! We are doing this in the memory of Jim Alexander husband, father, friend, producer, director and mentor to everyone he met."

CHESS the Musical 

Update: Dancers are being sought for CHESS!!! Hollywood casting director Pixie Monroe who is also the producer of another charitable project-a celebrity podcast show benefiting St Jude Children’s Research Hospital entitled CastingHopeTM. is casting the ensemble dancers/singers for the event. Ms Monroe told her publicist: "I’m so excited to have been called in on this incredible project. The people involved are truly remarkable and watching this production emerge only inspires one to want to give more. I have been up several nights looking through the dance submissions on the breakdowns and can tell you that the cream of the crop from the dance industry are wanting to be apart of  this exciting "Chess" production. I want to cast them all!" Auditions will be on July 28th.  The final decisions will be made by producer Brian Purcell and choreographer A.C. Ciulla. A.C. will be flying in from NY to LA for the auditions.

Dancers interested in auditioning (professionals only please) and would like to take part in the benefit, please submit to: Att: Chess Casting Director Pixie Monroe at ssshekkie.aol.com

Tickets for CHESS on sale NOW at: www.fordtheatres.org Tel:         323-461-3673           .

Ticket prices from $35-$200Broadway Cares/Equity.

The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles, 90068.

Broadway Cares/ Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American Theatre community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV-related illnesses.
 

About the author

Gianna Brighton