Agree!!! He is effing amazing! What a performance.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES! Philip Casnoff is so very underrated!

What really sells this is Freddie is talking to a reporter during an interview but it is staged and performed like he's talking to a psychiatrist during a therapy session which it is clear is what he really needs. The man is constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown and won't admit it.

I am working on a fanfic for Chess in which Freddie adopts Florence and Anatoly's son after the two get into a car accident. Even though, I let people picture whichever versions of the characters they want, in my mind it is this cast and definitely Phil's Freddie. (There are a few allusions to this like jokes about Freddie's short height and a reference to the famous publicity photo of Phil, Judy, and David that make it clearer.) I was too mesmerized by this version of the character after seeing North and South with my Mom and siblings and watching this version of Chess on KZfaq for me not to use them.

@@julieporter7805 I would love to read that! It sounds like a fascinating concept for a story. Freddie is such a complex character. Clearly brilliant, a chess rock star. However, he has so much childhood damage...and rage. I would be interested how he comes to grips with that in a fanfic: he had such a dysfunctional childhood & now is trying to raise a child on his own. Feel free to share the link when you have completed your treatment.

@@debbabe2254 It's called Knight and Pawn and is under my pen name Auburn Red. I can't post links.

@@julieporter7805 Found it. I will read it asap. 🙂 Thank you for letting me know. BTW, have you sern Mr Casnoff in the "George Washington" miniseries? Very cute...

@@debbabe2254 I never saw it but (looks at the cast list) He was Lafayette. Of course he was.😎😉😆

Carsten Spencer =

Remembering David still in 2023

What a great voice he had. Nobody will ever sing Anthem like he did! The true tragedy of David's life was not only that he contracted AIDS, but he got it so early in the treatment history of the disease. By 1992 we barely had a handle on it.

I wish I could have seen David in Chess. But, I did see him in Grand Hotel. When I see Josh Groban sing Anthem I cringe because David will always own that song.

the London version was amazing though Someone Else's Story wasn't written til the B'way Prod then by the time it arrived i Australia it was a terrible staging and re-written so much it was a mess!

@@anthonyhenrysmith The London version was unbelievable. I loved every moment.

The book was awful and the story line just wasn't compelling. But the performances.......I was tired from applauding and I am still annoyed that Marcia Mitzman did not get her due. She was sensational.

To this day, one if my favourite musicals. I saw the London production and I love the Broadway recording. So many great talented singers, such a great score. Sadly the story itself wasn’t compelling at all, because it leads nowhere really but to disappointment for most of the characters. I think if the story had been better, it would’ve been a success. I love Philip Casnoff as Freddie. Such a great voice, it’s a pity you can only find snippets of his vocal performances online, would’ve been great to see and hear more of him.

She also sang as Pocahontas in the Disney movie, too!

Luckily for me she lives in NJ and performed a number of shows at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn where I've been a patron for over 30 years. It seems that the PMP is now a jumping off point for B'way, Newsies, etc.

Because when the show came to Broadway, the plot suffered from severe modifications: songs were deleted, lyrics were rewritten and the story became a mess. It was truly outrageous what the Americans did to this wonderful show. The original West End production had its flaws, but compared to the Broadway rewrite, it was truly a masterpiece.

@Rex84 I’ve just always wanted a creation of the blend of both versions

I think that's the point. The song is from Freddie's point of view and that's how he sees Bangkok as tacky and overdone. He is displaying his conceit and pomposity in this number.

@@julieporter7805 I very much appreciate your insight. I will view it again, but my compliment was for the dancer's ability rather than the way it presented as integrated choreography. I am a dance teacher, who tends to think there could always be more dance and dance played broadly, but this seemed like. a drunken uncle at the Bar Mitzvah reception imitating 'hip hop' rather than the garishness of the intent of the number. Having said that, I see your point and it does make more sense to me now.