Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW ScienceWorks celebration to include North Medford's high-altitude balloon launch ... Oregon steps up bat search amid new disease scare ... Since You Asked: Lost Creek, Applegate lakes on pace to fill ... ScienceWorks celebration to include North Medford's high-altitude balloon launch ... Oregon steps up bat search amid new disease scare ... Since You Asked: Lost Creek, Applegate lakes on pace to fill ... THEATER Genise will present 'Chess' music despite cancellation Music from canceled production will be performed in Ashland Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Livia Genise, who resigned from Camelot Theatre’s top artistic job in a dispute over cancellation of the musical “Chess,” will present the music from that show in an Ashland concert in September. The show, with singing and movement but no set or costumes, will take place Sept. 17-18 at the Ashland Community Center on Winburn Way with performers Genise originally cast in the show before it was canceled. The following weekend it will be performed at the Bellview Grange, also in Ashland. Genise was artistic director of Camelot Theatre for 14 years, during which time attendance tripled at the former Actors Theatre in Talent. After a successful fundraiser, the theater in 2011 moved next door into the new James M. Collier Theatre. She had planned to step away from the theater this year, but resigned after the theater’s board canceled the already-announced play. The board, facing a tight financial environment, said it feared “Chess,” which has a checkered production history, wouldn’t draw well. The musical, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, is the story of a Cold War-era chess match between American and Soviet grandmasters that also involves a love triangle. It’s loosely based on the adventures of American Bobby Fischer, who is widely considered the greatest chess player of all time. It was a hit in England, running for three years in the late 1980s, but the American version that opened on Broadway in 1988 closed after just two months. Most of the 14 singers in the show were cast by Genise in the production she was to have presented at Camelot. The show features six principal singers and eight ensemble parts. Many of the singers will continue to appear in Camelot productions under the leadership of interim artistic director Roy Von Rains Jr. “I’m not asking people to choose,” Genise said. She said people in the original show asked her whether there was some way the show could go on. The performance will be choreographed by Sarah Gore and feature a musical score arranged and digitized by keyboardist Carl Iverson. She said Iverson had put in almost 200 hours on the score before the show was canceled. A sponsor has stepped forward, and she’s also received an invitation from Randall Theatre’s Robin Downward to bring the show to Medford. “Chess” has had mixed success in revivals. A 1989 concert in Carnegie Hall by the original Broadway cast sold out. An American production toured for seven months in 1990 as the Berlin Wall was coming down and the end of the Cold War approached. Genise is also founding a nonprofit production company to be known as Livia Genise Productions. Genise says she envisions a series of staged play readings and concerts, some of which might not work as monthlong runs at a community theater. She mentioned “God’s Country,” based on the murder of Jewish radio host Alan Berg by a right-wing group calling itself The Order; “Night of the Iguana,” Tennessee Williams’ play about a defrocked minister accused of statutory rape involving a 16-year-old girl; and “Parade,” a Tony-winning Broadway musical about the lynching of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank in Georgia after he’d been falsely accused of rape. Genise has an acting audition in Portland next week and has been asked to direct a reading there in the fall. “I feel like Sisyphus let go of the boulder and took a deep breath,” she said. Bill Varble is a freelance writer living in Medford. Reach him at varble.bill @gmail.com. By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501