The Chess King

THE CHESS KING

-a musical comedy-

-with musical book and lyrics-

CHANG SHI-KUO and SAN MAO (CHEN PING)

(adapted from the novel Chess King by Chang Shi-Kuo)

(Updated for 2011 production)

Music and Musical Direction

LI TAI-HSIANG

Scene and Light Design

Costume Design

Cybele Chang and Gabriel Smith

CHOREOGRAPHY AND MUSICAL STAGING

ENTIRE PRODUCTION DIRECTED

CAST

(In order of appearance)

1. Cheng Ling – very likeable, even lovable, a mite chubby, not too secure, about 30 years old. Singing voice for musical comedy

2. Zhang Shi-Jia – metallic-nasal, brash, a success, but always on the brink, about thirty years old.

3. Zhou Pei – hoarse from always pushing, selling, yelling, talking too fast, about thirty years old.

4. Ding Yu-Mei – breathless, coquettish, sweet, pretty, about forty five years old, must sing.

5. The Gobang Kid – sensitive, lonely, slightly large head for his thin, small body, very steady eyes, about 12 years old.

6. Male Announcer – (off stage voice)

7. Little girl violinist – (No lines)

8. A-Chu – Short and round (imaginary character), sings and moves well.

9. Professor Liu – affected, in love with himself, sophisticated, absolutely secure, about forty years old.

10. GaiBuo – tall and thin (imaginary character) – sings and dances well.

11. “Far North” – Male and Female Lead dancers (imaginary characters).

12. People of Taipei, and the Stock Market;

HuHuei and GaiWen imaginary people; big and small.

Adults’ Chorus – Singers/Dancers

Childrens’ Chorus –Singers/ Dancers.

Acrobats.

Note: In what follows the names of imaginary people will be marked in purple, the titles and lyrics of songs in dark blue and major changes deviating from the original script in red.

THE CHESS KING

MUSICAL PROGRAM

ACT I

1. Music vibrato under building of city. pp. 6

(a) Taipei is Alive (Song) All-Singers/dancers/adults/children. pp. 7

2. Cymbal crashes on dialogue (Chart-Graph) – Cheng, visual cue – charts turned right side up. pp. 9

3. Reprise-cymbal crashes on dialogue (Chart-Graph), line cue – Cheng: “…trustworthy we are.” pp. 9-10

4. Drum roll on dialogue, line cue, Cheng: “excel in all areas, see.” pp. 11

(a) Reprise-cymbal crashes on dialogue, pp. 12

(b) Coquettish music under Ding Yu-Mei entrance and 1st speech. Pp. 12

(d) Music under Cheng’s speech, line cue, “Won’t even look at him” pp. 13

5. Drum roll in blackout, line cue, Cheng: “Where are you now, Gobang Kid?” pp. 13

6. Prodigy World(Song), Ding, Children Singers/Dancers, line cue in blackout, Male Voice, “Prodigy World Singers and Dancers:” pp. 13

(a) Music under violin prodigy, visual cue, Zhang lifts hand. pp. 14

(b) Music vibrato sustained under lights flashing on at end of violin passage, bells at the end. pp. 14

7. Music for Gobang Guess Fingers game, music reprise each time under numbers, line cues: pp. 17

(a) Cheng: “Let’s guess fingers”

(b) Cheng: “One More Time”

(d) Cheng: “Place the first stone”

8. Money Is Freedom (Song), Cheng. pp. 18

(a) Music lead in, visual cue, as Cheng crosses away from the Gobang Kid.

(b) Cheng soliloquy: “I know what I am”

9. Music under entrance of A-Chu, pp. 19

(a) Musical Parade of HuHuei people. Solo instrument, line cue, Cheng: “You? Who are you?”

10. Song of the A-Chu (Song) line cue, Gobang Kid: “Listen, he is singing.” pp. 19-20

11. Recitative, Ding, Cheng, Liu, Zhang (Music, free form), line cue, Cheng: “Professor Liu, this is the Gobang Prodigy.” pp. 21

Recitative ends on line cue: Zhang: “I’ll publicize the news” pp. 22

12. Entrance of GaiWen People, Children singers/dancers.), line cue, Cheng: “Can you understand that?” pp. 23

Titles Song: (Song) GaiBuo and GaiWen People, Tango rhythm. pp. 24

13. Reprise, Money is Freedom, Cheng, Line cue, Cheng: “When I have enough money” pp. 25

(A) Count to reprise, stock market reports, voices, musical cacophony, louder and louder, finally drowning out Cheng’s voice.

End of Act I

14. ENTR’ ACTE

ACT TWO

15. Sustained music vibrato – as Taipei City light up, then dims. pp. 26

16. Reprise, Money is Freedom; stock market reports, voices musical cacophony. (As in end of Act I). Music out on line cue:

Cheng: “Let’s fight it!” pp. 26

17. Tale of Gold (Song and dance) Adult singers and dancers. Visual cue for

(a) Lead in, Cheng and Zhou embracing and dancing. pp. 27

(b) Tale of Gold, line cue, Cheng, Zhou: “We are rich.”

18. THE Far North (Song and Dance) Gai Bwo, children singers and dancers lead male, lead female dancer. pp. 30

(a) Bell chime lead in, line cue, Cheng: “to wander forever”

(b) Begin lead in without song for entrance of GaiWen People, line cue, Cheng: “with some of his people”

19. “A-Chu” solo instrument reprise:

(a) Line cue, Cheng: “I have hurt him..”, through line cue, Cheng: “What would I be in that world” pp. 34

(b) Line cue, Cheng: “do I have a chance with her?”, though line cue, Cheng: “How can I understand him if you don’t?” pp. 35

20. Recitative – Music free form – Reprise pp. 36

(a) Line cue, Professor Liu: “U.S. dollars each year”, though line cue, Cheng: “So, we are back where we were.” pp. 37

21. Cymbal Crashes Reprise: Line cue, Cheng: “I came to my office to work on my charts – remember?”, through line cue, Cheng: “expanding forever…” pp. 38-39

22. Good Child; (Song), Ding YuMei.

(a) Lead in, as Ding crosses D.S. with Gobang Kid, line cue, Ding: “I am so happy to see you.” pp. 41

(b) Good Child Song. pp. 42

23. Prodigy World Reprise: Visual cue, lights up full on stage. pp. 42

24. Recitative – free form music – Reprise: line cue, Ding: “set up the board for the next game”, through line cue, Cheng, “he can only blame his technique.” pp. 43

25. Prodigy World Reprise: Song and Dance; line cue, Ding: “Welcome our new champion!” pp. 45

26. (a) Musical Reprise – A-Chu_Fantansy_Parade, line cue, Kid: “Let me take you to the other world, will you?” pp. 47

(b)Musical Reprise – Money Is Freedom, visual cue, Stock Market Adult Chorus enter with Zhou Pei. Zhou sings: “Money is Freedom,... Money is Freedom” (very softly.) pp. 47

(d) Musical Reprise – Zhou: “Money is Freedom,… Money is Freedom.” pp. 47

(e) Musical Reprise – A-Chu Music Fantasy – on Gobang Kid’s line: “Come with us”

(f) Musical reprise – Vibrato – building of Taipei City. Line cue, Cheng: “Right here in the city of Taipei” pp. 48

27. Musical Finale and Bows

Reprise of “Taipei is Alive” with entire cast.

CURTAIN

28. After curtain – one more reprise of “Taipei is Alive!”

Note: Since the Word editor sometimes will reformat a document automatically, causing page numbers to change, the page numbers cited above may be shifted by one or (rarely) two.

Glossary of Music Numbers:

1. “Taipei is Alive (overture),”

2. “Prodigy World,”

3. “Money is Freedom,”

4. “Song of A-Chu,”

5. “The Importance of Title,”

6. “Tale of Gold,”

7. “Time to Remember (needs lyric),”

8. “The Far North,”

9. “Night Market,”

10. “Zebra (needs music),”

11. “Good Child,”

12. “The Born Winner (needs lyric).”

Note: Lyrics for #7 and #12 are missing. Music for #10 is to be composed.

THE CHESS KING

ACT ONE : Time: Early Evening. (Overture from Act I)

There is no curtain. When seated at the beginning, the audience sees a very dimly lit stage, bare except for some scaffolding upstage, light towers, light strips upstage, and necessary side and upstage masking support of entrances and exits, etc. Suspended above, Left and Right, are two large screens for projection of slides and film. House lights are turned off together with dim light on stage, and a spotlight picks up musical director off-stage down right, who conducts the orchestra in the overture, consisting of the eight major songs of the show.

During the overture, abstract slides are shown on the screens, indicative of the mood of the songs. The concluding number of the overture is Taipei is Alive. During this number and timed with it, a short film-(can be stock footage) appears on the two screens, first showing time-tables, then people arriving in Taipei by plane, train, and bus; taking taxis and buses, and travelling by motorbike, car and bicycle through the streets of Taipei. Shots of traffic on streets, hotels, restaurants, office buildings, memorial halls, Snake Alley, department stores, traffic circles, etc., etc, until finally, all traffic and people arrive at the front of theatre, e.g., The China Sports and Cultural Center!! (Traffic sounds and streets noises throughout film can either be by orchestra or on audio.)

Film and Taipei Is Alive simultaneously conclude the overture. The conductor turns and bows to the applause, but immediately turns back to orchestra while applause is full and cuts through with sustained musical vibrato. His spotlight and one other spotlight have shifted upstage, (stage area itself is now dimly lit again) and high above, picking up two men who unfurl the cyclorama, lowering it to the stage. (If possible, they might be acrobats who lower themselves down on ropes along with the cyclorama.) The cyclorama is secured below on stage and almost simultaneously the total chorus (36 adults and children as needed) begins appearing from right and left, each person carrying a profile cutout of what, when, assembled upstage, will become the miniature city of Taipei in the early evening.

They place the pieces together and exit from the stage – (sustained music vibrato is still on) – as now the miniature city is lit up in front of the cyclorama. Suspended from balconies, if possible, are signs of Taipei which are lit up simultaneously. When fully lit the music vibrato is cut, and there is applause. Again, the conductor cuts through the applause with Taipei is Alive, the downstage area is lit, and people begin to enter and move about on an imagined sidewalk upstage of an imagined street on their way home from work. (There are traffic noises throughout) Types seen on the street, which is in a busy neighborhood and is very colorful include: vendors -snacks, flowers, birds, fruit, puppets, balloons.. By means of cartoon-like cut-outs, which they can wear and carry, (and simple props when necessary) the audience recognizes who they are.

Other people -businessmen, street cleaners, sales girls, police, carpenters, etc., assemble from time to time to talk or purchase items. A cut-out of a bus arrives downstage driven (held) by a bus driver: some people step in (above it) and shuffle off with the bus, only their feet and heads showing. Someone gets into a cut-out of a taxi, cut-outs of motor-bikes and cars appear, etc. Politicians with hand posters are there, as well as children who, at one point, stop traffic to cross the imagined street. The whole stage is alive. People on and off and on again continuously. Even an acrobat, recognized by several people does his stuff and exits. At a critical point in the music, a siren is heard and the crowd turns upstage with their backs to the audience as the music stops abruptly. The orchestra starts the song Taipei is Alive as the assembled crowd turns facing the audience, starts down, and sings and dances: TAIPEI IS ALIVE!

Taipei Is Alive!

With a Rhythm of its Own-

Pulsating, driving!

Humming, thriving!

Buying, importing!

Selling, exporting!

Building, expanding!

Working, demanding!

Reporting, assuming!

Producing, consuming!

Taipei Is Alive-

With a Rhythm Of Its Own…

People On The Move!

Streets On The Move!

Motor bikes panting –

Bicycles straining –

Taxi cabs honking –

Buses thronging –

Trains and planes –

Arriving.. Departing….

Taipei Is Alive!

With A Rhythm Of Its Own…

A City On The Move!

People On The Job!

I am a peddler of noodles-

I am a Ph.D.

I am a doctor-

Lawyer, banker, waiter,

Businessman, Teacher,

Politician, Mechanic!

Taipei is Alive –

With A Rhythm Of Its Own…

And now –

With promise of night –

Lights come up bright –

There’s – No stop in the beat –

Or the treading of feet.

Some head for home—

Some want to roam—

Some want to pray—

Some want to play!

Taipei Is Alive—

With A Rhythm of Its Own…

T-AI-P-EI! T-AI-P-EI!

Taipei! Taipei! Taipei! Taipei!

Taipei! Is Alive!

At the end of song, applause. Orchestra cuts through applause with a Reprise, as people begin to leave the stage. Then, there is the honking of a real taxi from off stage left, which approaches below the imagined street. Cheng Ling gets out of taxi, begins to cross to right stage through the people as they are leaving. A small cut-out backed set with a chair, chart, desk, telephone on desk, comes on from down right, just in time for Cheng to sit on chair, right center, as stage is now cleared of everyone else.