Chess
Your Move.July 5 – 11
Before Mamma Mia!, members of the pop group ABBA teamed up with Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Evita) to create a dynamic drama centered around the world chess championship; mirroring the 1980s Cold War tensions of USA vs. Soviet Russia. The dazzling and beautiful pop rock score became a worldwide smash, including the hit single “One Night in Bangkok.” Chess makes its move to St. Louis (home of the first world championship) and onto the Muny stage for the first time, as the game’s long history continues to rise in popularity.
Performances begin at 8:15pm
Running Time: 2:15 Including Intermission
In Partnership With
CAST
JESSICA VOSK
Florence Vassy
returns to The Muny after starring as the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat last summer. Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof, Finding Neverland, The Bridges of Madison County. Vosk recently returned to Carnegie Hall in Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration after her sold-out solo concert there, and just wrapped a 20-city solo concert tour. Best known for her star-turn as Elphaba in Wicked, both on tour and in the 15th Anniversary Broadway company, she recently performed “Defying Gravity” in the Great Performances 50th Anniversary Concert (PBS). She starred in the Jerome Robbins tribute Something to Dance About with the company of the NYC Ballet. Jessica produced two albums that debuted on the Billboard and iTunes charts, Wild and Free and A Very Coco Christmas. Having started with a career in finance, her one-of-a-kind story has been covered by ABC’s 20/20 and NBC Nightly News.
JARROD SPECTOR
Frederick Trumper
Muny: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Barry Mann). Broadway: Les Misérables (Gavroche), Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Barry Mann, Tony nomination), The Cher Show (Sonny Bono). New York: Hamlet (Hamlet). National tours: Les Misérables, Jersey Boys. Regional: Piece of My Heart (Bert Berns, New York Stage and Film), Presto Change-O (Michael, Barrington Stage Company), Roman Holiday (Irving Radovich, Golden Gate Theatre), The Cher Show (Sonny Bono, Nederlander Theatre), Bruce (Steven Spielberg, Seattle Rep). TV/Streaming: Halston, Wormwood, A Killer Party, The Kate (Regional Emmy nomination). Jarrod tours the country with his critically acclaimed solo concerts and duet performances with his wife, Kelli Barrett, and has released two solo albums. Come see him at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis’ Central West End on July 12th! Proud member of AEA. For K, always. @jarrodspector
JOHN RIDDLE
Anatoly Sergievsky
received his Equity card 15 years ago in the ensemble of The Muny’s Annie. Other Muny: Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Titanic, Show Boat, Legally Blonde and others. Recently, John played Raoul in the final Broadway company of The Phantom of the Opera. He originated the roles of Young Anton in The Visit opposite Chita Rivera and Hans in Disney’s Frozen. Off-Broadway/New York: Titanique (Cal Hockley), The Secret Garden in Concert (Lincoln Center), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Prince, Town Hall). National tour: Evita. Regional: Kennedy Center, Long Wharf Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Casa Mañana, Naples Opera. Other: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. @thejohnriddle
RODNEY HICKS
Walter de Courcey
Muny: Paint Your Wagon (Ford). Broadway: Come From Away (Bob, OBC), The Scottsboro Boys (Clarence Norris, OBC), Jesus Christ Superstar (Peter, 2000 revival), Rent (Ensemble and Benny in the closing cast). TV/Film: Leverage (TNT), Grimm (NBC), NYPD Blue (ABC), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC), Hope & Faith (ABC), Student Affairs (pilot). Rodney can currently be seen in Mighty Oak (Apple TV/Paramount Pictures) and the upcoming feature film The Sleepover (Disney+/Imagine Entertainment).
TALLY SESSIONS
Alexander Molokov
South Pacific, Spamalot. Broadway: Company, Anastasia, War Paint, Falsettos, Paramour, School of Rock, Big Fish, The House of Blue Leaves. Off-Broadway: Giant (Public Theater), Queen of the Mist (Transport Group), Anyone Can Whistle (NY City Center Encores!), Yank!; Godspell and Hallelujah, Baby! (York Theatre). Tours: Legally Blonde, South Pacific, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Regional theatres: Paper Mill Playhouse (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, South Pacific, Little Shop of Horrors), Goodspeed Musicals (Holiday Inn, Carousel, Lizzie Borden), Old Globe (The Gardens of Anuncia, Rain, Robin and the Seven Hoods), Signature Theatre (Assassins, The Gospel According to Fishman), Kansas City Rep (Sweeney Todd), Asolo Rep (The Sound of Music), Westport Playhouse (The Immigrant), Olney Theatre (Carousel), Studio Theatre (Silence!), Kennedy Center (How to Succeed…). Film/TV: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Falling Water, Elementary and Burning Man. Awards: Two Carbonell Awards, Henry Award, two Helen Hayes nominations, Connecticut Critics Circle nomination.
PHILLIP JOHNSON RICHARDSON
Arbiter
Muny: Newsies, All Shook Up, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, The Music Man. Regional: Goddess (Berkeley Rep) and Hamilton (Chicago’s CIBC Theatre). Film/TV: Sharper, The Last O.G.; Little Voice, Chicago PD, Proven Innocent and The Other Two. Education: BFA, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
TAYLOR LOUDERMAN
Svetlana Sergievskaya
is a Tony-nominated actress from Bourbon, MO. Favorite Muny credits: Aida (Amneris), Grease (Sandy), Hairspray (Amber), Kinky Boots (Lauren), and Muny Teens! She made her Broadway debut starring in Bring It On: The Musical with The Muny’s own Mike Isaacson. Additional credits include the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls (Regina), Kinky Boots (Lauren), NBC’s KENAN (Tami), Peter Pan Live! (Wendy), Nick Jr.’s Sunny Day (Blair), and CBS’s EVIL (Malindaz).
Ensemble
Annelise Baker, Jett Blackorby, Eric Allen Boyd, Sydney Chow, Cicily Daniels, Spencer Dean, Matt Faucher, Anna Gassett, Brian Golub, Omega Jones, Sydney Jones, Gareth Keegan, Sage Lee, Daniel May, Brady Miller, Trina Mills, Alysha Morgan, Kristen Faith Oei, Alex Prakken, Emilie Renier, Shelby Ringdahl, Michael Seltzer and Avilon Trust Tate
CREATIVE TEAM
JOSH RHODES
Director/Choreographer
is thrilled to return after directing Joseph…Dreamcoat, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Jersey Boys, Paint Your Wagon and choreographing Young Frankenstein. In New York, Josh directed and choreographed Mack & Mabel and Grand Hotel at NY City Center Encores! For the Kennedy Center, he staged the critically acclaimed production of The Who’s Tommy. Josh’s other productions as a director include Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville (Old Globe), Spamalot (The 5th Avenue Theatre) and Cabaret, The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls and Evita (The Asolo Repertory). Rhodes recently directed the award-winning musical film, Beau. On Broadway, he choreographed Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, It Shoulda Been You, First Date and Bright Star. On London’s West End, he choreographed Carousel (English National Opera) and Sweeney Todd, starring Emma Thompson.
JASON DEBORD
Music Director/Conductor
Broadway conducting credits include Shrek, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert; Rock of Ages, Legally Blonde, All Shook Up and Rent. He was resident music supervisor for both the Broadway and world tour productions of Once. Other New York credits include Bare: The Musical; Bat Boy: The Musical; TheRadio City Christmas Spectacular, The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, New York City Center Encores!; and countless developmental productions of new works. DeBord played and conducted the national tours of A Chorus Line, Rent and Urinetown. Regionally, he has worked at The Muny, The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, A.C.T., Alliance Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre. He is a faculty member in the University of Michigan Department of Musical Theatre.
LEE WILKINS
Associate Director/Choreographer
Muny: Joseph…Dreamcoat, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Paint Your Wagon, Jersey Boys. Broadway (Associate Choreographer): Bright Star, It Shoulda Been You, First Date, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Broadway (Actor): Elf (original cast), Spamalot, Wonderful Town, Kiss Me, Kate. Other: Carousel (English National Opera), Mack & Mabel, Grand Hotel and Big River (NY City Center Encores!), Cabaret, The Sound of Music, Evita (Asolo Rep), Guys and Dolls (Old Globe, Asolo Rep), Spamalot (The 5th Avenue), On the Town (LA Philharmonic), Company (Avery Fisher Hall), Minsky’s (Ahmanson). TV: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS), Hatfields and McCoys (NBC) and Alpha House (Amazon Studios). Direction: D23 (Disney), NBC Upfront (Radio City Music Hall), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Casa Mañana), First Date (Straz Center), Divas For Democracy (StageIt).
MICHAEL HORSLEY
Associate Musical Director
is the music supervisor for The Muny and the music director for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Broadway: Chicago, Seussical. National tours: White Christmas, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago (with Chita Rivera and Ben Vereen), 42nd Street, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.Solo concerts for Lee Roy Reams, Judy Kaye, Luci Arnaz, Shirley Jones, Karen Mason and Tovah Feldshuh. Vocal direction: Detroit Symphony (holiday concert series), National Symphony and Birmingham Symphony. Select Regional: Roman Holiday (Guthrie Theater), White Christmas (Boston’s Wang Theatre, Detroit’s Fox Theatre and Toronto’s Sony Center), On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Music Theatre Wichita), Fiddler on the Roof (American Musical Theatre of San Jose), A Chorus Line (Pioneer Theatre) and The Full Monty (North Carolina Theatre).
Book by Richard Nelson
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson