#kdhgkjg i am so sorry for how long this is you dont have to read it all if you dont want

[anatolysergievsky]

@airshipcity you asked how other versions do endgame and i apparently felt like writing you a novel lmfao ily fdhkjg

        Okay so the problem with Endgame is that so many versions do NOT want to rewrite as much of it as is necessary for the varied endings that different productions have. You see so many versions rely partially or completely on either the original (In Concert) version or the Broadway one, depending on if it is a match with Viigand or with Freddie. But it’s not as simple as that—London Endgame doesn’t always work for matches with Viigand and more than that, Broadway Endgame DEFINITELY doesn’t always work for matches with Freddie. To explain that, there are matches where Anatoly plays against Freddie in Act 2 but still actually wins, unlike Broadway. So it doesn’t make sense to use the Broadway lyrics for that show. To remedy that but instead of doing the smart thing and REWRITING THE SONG to reflect the production, some versions will just sloppily combine London and Broadway into a completely incomprehensible song that you can’t even decipher who won from until the Arbiter says it. An example of this would be the bane of my existence, Sydney production’s Endgame:

“All

We are all aware of reputation

But this empty chair is condemnation

Of a man who blew it, sold out with dishonor.

No one gives a damn for his dilemma

Just another scam, we're sick of them, a

Petulant display, another prima donna.

We can hardly begin to

Imagine why he'd risk all he's put into

His calling through the years

The blood, the sweat, the tears

The late, late nights, the early starts.

Of course the effect is

Exactly what observers will expect, viz.

The world is set to cheer

The only one who's here

The bad guy's gone and won their hearts.

(Florence enters.)

All

Is he still in bed?

Or in the shower?

Even if he's dead

They won't allow a

Man to show up after the appointed hour.

(Music builds. Anatoly enters at the last possible moment. Reactions among the protagonists)

Anatoly

They all think they see a man

Who doesn't know

Which move to make

Which way to go

Whose private life

Caused his decline

Wrecked his grand design

Some are vicious, some are fools

And others blind

To see in me

One of their kind

(Anatoly takes his place at the board and makes a confident opening play. Freddie is unsettled by Anatoly’s sure play but relies strongly)

Freddie

So he hasn't cracked

He still can cut it!

Maybe it's an act -

It must be - but it

Made us all believe that

He could even sit here

Anatoly

Never let them know

Their eyes affect you

Never let it show

They won't suspect you

Mean to let them win

There's no one going to quit here

(Anatoly makes a particularly decisive move - Freddie is taken aback.)

Florence & Svetlana (during which a stylised version of the game continues)

Here we have two men caring

About a minor sporting triumph, sharing

A show with esoterics,

Paranoids, hysterics

Who don't pay attention to

What goes on around them

They leave the ones they love the way they found them

Is this the life they need?

A chidlish, selfish greed

While those around them bleed to death

Anatoly (dramatically)

Check!

(Freddie is taken aback)

Then I think of her

Her and her father

What would she prefer?

I know I'd rather

Never win again than feel

That I'd betrayed them

(Freddie moves, Anatoly counters)

Arbiter (taking over the calling)

Check!

(Clearly Anatoly attacking Freddie)

Freddie

My god, he's not gonna crack -

Anatoly

Which means that my decision

Really isn't very hard at all -

Freddie

He’s possessed by guilt and fear

Anatoly

So here we are

The final stages of a soul-destroying game

The sacrifice of something I shall never find again

Arbiter

Check!

(Again, Anatoly attacking)

Anatoly

Never!

('Check' and 'never' are repeated by the Arbiter and Anatoly respectively as Anatoly makes a series of moves that destroy Freddie)

Never!

(Checkmate. Anatoly wins. Freddie turns his king over.)

Freddie

On the losing side!

A variation!

Taken for a ride

A situation

That is known as dues and

Florence, I just paid them!

Anatoly

There is nothing more to do

My choice is made

The die is cast

The game is played

And so at last

I have freedom!

Arbiter

Mr. Sergievsky is the winner and becomes the new world champion.”

So… I have to say, this makes just about no sense to me. To bring up a direct example from this: “Then I think of her / Her and her father / What would she prefer? / I know I'd rather / Never win again than feel / That I'd betrayed them” versus, like two seconds later, Anatoly choosing to win the game. He has just said he would rather lose than betray her but he doesn’t follow through on that at all. They way they combine the Broadway and London-ish versions is so bizarre lmfao—then they also added a few extra lyrics of their own (“Never let them know their eyes affect you…”) just to add to the confusion.

           But honestly, the Sydney version is not the only version to do this super weird kind of mashup of different versions. Just today I was looking at a script (unofficial, I’m pretty sure, but it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination considering Chess to think that this had been a staged production) which had an Endgame that can be summarized as:

1)    Broadway opening: Anatoly arrives late, has his “they all think they see a man” verse, Freddie has his “so he’s gonna fight this situation” verse.

2)    Svetlana comes in with the “here I see a man caring” verse, something that is never really included in versions where Anatoly is going to make the selfless decision and lose the match. She berates him in this verse so that him winning is clearly established as being “bad.” Anatoly responds with “take my blues as read” etc. This further solidifies that he’s going to win—he’s essentially agreeing that he’s Bad™ and he says the following “finding out my one true obligation—to chess!”

3)    ??? We cut back to Broadway with Freddie’s “at last he’s made a mistake” and Anatoly’s “I cannot go on hurting all the people who have trusted me.”

4)    ????????? For some reason we then get the chorus singing the “listen to them shout… etc/ but in the end a winner” verse.

5)    Anatoly loses the match.

Like literally who wrote that. They could have easily just stuck to Broadway with this one—it would have been no real issue. Adding in points 2 and 4 here completely muddy the progression of the song and actually mess up the flow of it too, with respect to point 4.

           In summary… Broadway Endgame? Makes sense. London Endgame? Makes sense. Most other versions? Literally bizarre. However! I do have to say that this post is only centered around the English-speaking versions of the show. The lyrics for other language-d versions obviously have to be rewritten and thus they don’t tend to do this mashup catastrophe thing although they do tend to change the sentiments of the song during the rewrite so it’s really a win-lose situation. In particular, the Hungarian version changes the sentiments of the song quite a lot! If you would like to see the translated version of this one, you should ask my super intelligent and generous friend @phantasmagoricfebruary who completely saved my life by translating all of the Hungarian Chess songs.

           I obviously rambled a lot here and I didn’t even manage to talk about You and I Reprise or Walter and Florence but I’m not sure how long this post can be without being ridiculous so here’s just my thoughts on Endgame lmao.