Cult Musical 'Chess' Returns To Broadway After 37 Years
For the first time since its original run in 1988, the cult musical Chess will get its long-awaited Broadway return in New York City this fall. The production will star Emmy Award nominee Lea Michele, Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher.
The producers announced the revival on Wednesday with a black-and-white teaser video with no dialogue, accompanied by the tagline "Let the games begin."
Official dates are yet to be announced, but previews of the musical will begin in the fall of 2025 at a Shubert Theatre, the producers announced.
Chess is the iconic musical featuring music by the Swedish duo from ABBA, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and lyrics by Tim Rice. It was originally staged in London's West End in 1986 and then revised for Broadway in 1988. The musical has since been staged in multiple locations around the world, such as in Moscow in 2020, but this is its first revival on Broadway.
The story takes place in Bangkok and Budapest, but is set during the Cold War and centers on a World Chess Championship match with two grandmasters: Freddie Trumper (Tveit) and his Soviet rival, Anatoly Sergievsky (Christopher).
The characters are loosely inspired by real chess legends, such as GM Bobby Fischer, while the Russian player has elements of both GMs Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov.
Michele, who returns to Broadway after an acclaimed performance in Funny Girl, is set to star as Florence Vassey, the Hungarian-born arbiter who becomes tragically caught in the dramatic love triangle with the grandmasters.
The new production is based on a revised book by Emmy Award winner Danny Strong (Dopesick, Empire). It will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
One of the big hits from the musical is One Night in Bangkok with Murray Head (verses) and Anders Glenmark (chorus).
News of the revival is likely to generate widespread excitement among fans of the musical, and it has generated headlines in major media outlets such as The New York Times, Variety, Deadline, and People.
