Heaven Help My Heart (Australia's version CHESS The Musical)

[ThaliatheTiger]

I love this version, and the Sydney rewrite is actually my favorite, even concerning the entire show. I think it's an excellent compromise between the beautiful, sung-through yet hard-for-firstimers-to-follow British versions, and the more practical, yet less beautiful American version.

I also think that this is a good Act-one closer, as it allows us to check in with all the different characters' motivations. After all, you gotta make sure the audience knows where all the pieces are. ;)

[petercallaway]

Is that Jodie Gillies? Sure I saw this production...and the American won at the end!

[Evilqueen1985]

WTF!?!?! Why is it a ensemble piece now? This is terrible and bizarre. This is the most poignant number in the entire show and theyve ruined it by adding an incredibly strange ending...

[discogareth]

The last minute of this is fantastic, surprised I have not come across it before, thought I had heard all versions by now. Doesnt quite work as the ending of an act, but the vocal and musical arrangements made my spine tingle.

[KyleBugaboo]

My favorite version of this song. I do think "Anthem" should end the first act, but it's hard to say this Act One Finale doesn't work just as well, if not better!

[Nerpha]

from what I've heard the Australian version of Chess is quite strange. I think its even set after the cold war.

[woutch]

@Nerpha - Well the UK touring productions in 1990 and 1996 were set after The Cold War too. I have footage of "Embassy Lament" performed by the Australian cast and the new lrics (re-written by Tim Rice) were used in the Australian and Bristish productions. It went something like: "Europe is a free for all, oh how we miss the Berlin Wall now, who do these foreign chappies think they are!"

[Nerpha]

@woutch Really? I didn't know that , I kinda think it being set after the cold war takes away a lot of the meaning. I like chess as a musical though even I admit how dated some of the music sounds. I don't think I've ever come across a musical that has gone through more rewrites ,even out of all of these the australian version stands out to me as pretty strange in the songs they chose to use and which charecters they chose to sing them.

[DistantCousin]

Wow! Love it. Have an audio of the Sydney version. This finale is very Les Mis!

[pthc400]

I remember seeing this on a daytime chat show (Mike Walsh?) in about 1990. IT wowed me straight away and has been with me ever since. The harmonies'reprises at the end are spectacular and they still go through my head whenever I listen to my Judy Kuhn version.

I never saw the Sydney show, I live to far out in the sticks, would love to get my hands on an audio of it......

[mturkic]

The overlapping entry was rewritten by Tim Rice and director Jim Sharman as a curtain for Act 1.

[webuster]

Interesting, and sang very well, but I think the ending is a bit too dramatic- the countless reprisal's overlapping is a bit too much.

[woutch]

The song Heaven help My Heart is in every version of CHESS, but not arranged like this and NOT sent in Bangkok!

[IRBM]

This song is in the swedish version