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"Chess" timeline thoughts
Feb. 27th, 2021 03:44 pmSo there's a decent amount of weirdness around the timeline of "Chess," the musical. On the one hand, the American is a ripoff of Bobby Fischer, and it makes sense for him to have caused a surge of popularity for chess in the US instead of Fischer doing so, rather than after Fischer. On the other, the lyrics namedrop stuff like the bizarre 1978 shenanigans (hypnotists!), Iceland and the Philippines (1972, -75, -78) and Fischer and Karpov are included in the lists of champions, which could indicate an 80's setting. The RL championship was in Merano in 1981, and the concept album was released in 1984, so I usually work with "act I is in '81" and go from there.
However, the synopsis notes for the original concept album are pretty detailed and also pretty weird when taken together.
-The American is in his mid-thirties.
-The Russian is in his early forties.
-Florence left Hungary in 1956, age 2. So she was born approximately 1954, plus or minus.
-The American and Florence are "around the same age." (Also, they've been chess partners for seven years, but I'm not sure that makes a difference.)
-Act II is one year after Act I.
No matter how you slice it, it's hard to put Act I any earlier than about 1983 or so. Now, this was probably fine when it was released, the setting was probably "vaguely present day." But since it became a period piece shortly afterward, I prefer interpretations that place it closer to the end of the Cold War and the corresponding opportunities/freedoms for these characters!
(Yes, I know I am the only one who cares and everyone else is here for the love triangles, shut up.)
However, the synopsis notes for the original concept album are pretty detailed and also pretty weird when taken together.
-The American is in his mid-thirties.
-The Russian is in his early forties.
-Florence left Hungary in 1956, age 2. So she was born approximately 1954, plus or minus.
-The American and Florence are "around the same age." (Also, they've been chess partners for seven years, but I'm not sure that makes a difference.)
-Act II is one year after Act I.
No matter how you slice it, it's hard to put Act I any earlier than about 1983 or so. Now, this was probably fine when it was released, the setting was probably "vaguely present day." But since it became a period piece shortly afterward, I prefer interpretations that place it closer to the end of the Cold War and the corresponding opportunities/freedoms for these characters!
(Yes, I know I am the only one who cares and everyone else is here for the love triangles, shut up.)
