CHESS Previews- Page 2

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 1:10am

Is there staging or is it a concert like has been rumored?

[inception]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 3:42am

OMG!  I already have so many Uline catalogs, but now I need that one too!

But seriously isn't it crazy how many catalogs they send out? And we only ever order right from the website.  Then when you go into the school's mail room and look at all the slots, multiple people in every department are getting sent flyers & catalogs every week.

 

[Theatrefan2]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 4:59am

Jordan Catalano said: "Is there staging or is it a concert like has been rumored?"

 

From a curtain call video on Instagram the set gives concert style vibes. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 7:25am

If anyone would very kindly report re: whether/not the pit plays the score more like 2001 Danish Tour vs 1988 Broadway, I would be very appreciative. Thank you! 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 7:32am

Jordan Catalano said: "Is there staging or is it a concert like has been rumored?"

I hope it’s a full staging, I’d be disappointed if I spent 400 bucks for a concert. 

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 7:44am

rosscoe(au) said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Is there staging or is it a concert like has been rumored?"

I hope it’s a full staging, I’d be disappointed if I spent 400 bucks for a concert."

they were asked about whether it was a full set etc or a concert at the Variety breakfast and the answer basically was it's in between the two so its not "just" a concert. 

Also the photos coming out from rehearsals of the scene work suggest more than a concert.

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 07:44 AM

[Ball of Buttah]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 9:37am

Digital lottery and in-person available for those local in NYC. 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP1OT8KAHyr/?igsh=bjIzanhuYXJzMHpi

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 10:00am

Ball of Buttah said: "Digital lottery and in-person available for those local in NYC.


https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP1OT8KAHyr/?igsh=bjIzanhuYXJzMHpi

"

It hasn’t gone live yet it appears, so it may be a few days before it becomes available (or selectively available).

The “extension” to May 3rd is a bit weird because that would normally be right around the time Tony nominations are announced. Do they not have faith that the show has legs for a longer haul or just being overly cautious?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 10:00am

The curtain call footage everywhere suggests something between Encores! and a West End-ish concert. It's sleek and gleaming with an elegant simplicity but with the musicians above the performance, 180 from the last B'way iteration. Whatever Strong's stamp, the book - and its stylized staging - are clearly aiming for clarification/amplification of ideas in the songs, not verisimilitude. Nelson's book and Nunn's direction were all about exploring the story with naturalistic conventions (who can forget the comments on Kuhn's wardrobe, which looked like the Chernobyl limited series.) My first shallow thought: why so much focus on "new book" when any prior version could be played on this set, with what seems to be a single unifying set of costumes for the three leads?  Not (yet) a critique, perfunctory - admittedly unfair - observation. 

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 10:00 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 10:01am

I was not there, but I didn’t get any “concert” vibes from the posts on insta. Yes, the band is above the stage on platforms, but all looks very intentionally designed — stairs, neon, upholstered benches that can be reconfigured, etc. (Whether you like that design or not is up to you.)

But I suppose the definition of a concert production is deeply fluid these days.  

[Ball of Buttah]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 10:21am

I don't know if this is out of left field, but I actually got Spring Awakening vibes from the set and staging posted on IG. Obviously, in a much bigger scale. I'll find out for sure in a couple weeks. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 10:49am

It looks cheap and like a high school production. We’d doing risers on a Broadway stage? Yawn. 

[macbeth]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 11:58am

The risers worked in EVITA, I'm reserving judgement. 

[suzcap]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:05pm

Seems something has to give since musicals cost so much, either less in design or less in talent.

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 12:05 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:38pm

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 12:38 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:39pm

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 12:39 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:40pm

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 12:40 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:42pm

Robbie2 said: "Robbie2 said: "Robbie2 said: "RippedMan said: "It looks cheap and like a high school production. We’d doing risers on a Broadway stage? Yawn."

"

"

"

[EvaLupone]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:46pm

Idk I am going tonight and legit so excited. I have no idea what to expect but I am sure it’s going to be fabulous! 

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 12:46 PM

[marytylermoore]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 12:53pm

I have tickets this Saturday—can't wait to see what they've done! 

[Mary_Poppins]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 1:42pm

RippedMan said: "It looks cheap and like a high school production. We’d doing risers on a Broadway stage? Yawn."

I have a hunch that the set is not as cheap as it may look.

And the main purpose of the risers seems to be to put the orchestra on the stage. They also do some scenes up there and (I guess) they use the dimly lit space under the risers as the "dark corners" where the agents do their dirty dealings. Lea also posted a picture of herself sitting there with the description "Florence is pissed". I think they will get a lot of mileage out of this simple design.

While Danny claimed he hasn't even read the 1988 BW script, I think that version's crazy set was a warning to keep it simple. Spoiler tags because this explanation is quite long:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The Broadway design needed to provide many more locations than had been required in London and with a much more realistic atmosphere.

Robin Wagner: 
When we got to the new script the only visual idea that emerged very strongly from me was the idea of the wall that lies between East and West. When I discussed that with Trevor, he also felt very strongly that that was a very specific image. We also talked about the idea of people who are literally blocked in by walls and have to move in and out of labyrinth types of structures because of the nature of their lives and their politics. I initially envisioned wall-towers - large objects that stop you from being free. These units soon turned into periaktoi, the reason they came out as three­ sided is because it was geometrically the simplest form.

Thus the basic concept of moving walls and enclosed spaces was created, using 12 huge moving periaktoe (triangular) towers - six 21’ tall and six 11’6” tall with 7' sides. Each of the tall towers weighed 550 pound. These were to be mechanically moved around on a stage which would include a large 28' central revolve.

The towers were made from drilled out aluminium (to make it lighter) covered in foam board and flame proof material. The facade of the towers were given a poured concrete finish, which gave them the effect of being a huge wall that constantly reformed itself to become buildings, interiors, arenas or parts of the city, creating around 47 different locations. 

Robin Wagner: 
This did not want to be a statement about classical Siamese dancing or the Budapest String Quartet. No one was interested in that. We wanted to tell a story of espionage and people being torn apart by politics. And a love story which had nothing to do with architecture whatsoever. The use of multiple periaktoi proved to be the best way to define 47 different locations without turning the show into a spectacle.

The pallet of the new design was to be predominately neutral, with the grey concrete of the  towers being only occasionally relieved by colour or brighter hues. Within two sides of each tower were six small periaktoi, these could be revolved to change the texture or colour of the tower side. One side - the Bangkok panels - had what Robin Wagner called a sort of Trump Tower look - with brass facings. These could turn again to show the Budapest panels - a kind of old world panelling. The panels on the third side of the small towers had images of various product logos for use during The Merchandisers. 

Robin Wagner: 
We realised that the best way to move these things around would be to put a human inside of each one. In­stead of machines imitating human capabilities, these are men imitating machines. The operators have become part of the set. They have been directed and rehearsed like an ensemble. It is like dance.

On the whole this new method did work, but it was not the high precision process originally imagined. With the towers being required to pass by within inches of each other, occasionally they did have minor collisions. Many hours of rehearsal were required to make the scene changes as smooth as possible, not to mention safe for tower operator and cast. By the time the show opened, the towers had become an extremely intricate and effective part of the performance. The swift cinematic style scene changes were endlessly fascinating to watch and lent the production a slick elegant style that aimed to keep the pace of the show at the right level. Although the set was quite dull in colour, the towers were enthralling to watch, providing a fascinating backdrop to the substantially interesting story that was being told in front of them. 

Robin Wagner: 
The set could not exist without the director. If Trevor Nunn hadn't directed the moves, it couldn't work. It has needed directing as much as the actors have; indeed, the twelve towers that comprise its basic structure have been in rehearsal with the rest of the company from day one. [BW Brochure Notes]

Lighting was an important element of this production, creating atmosphere and intrigue in numerous scenes. Due to having to light a constantly moving set. The lighting designer, David Hersey, who had also lit London, was faced with various problems with how to get the lights into the right position to light the characters and not cast numerous shadows caused by the towers. Most stage lighting is hung above the stage, with some additional lights and spotlights located in front of the proscenium arch. This simply wasn’t going to provide enough options in this case and so a series of moving trusses were created which were located at various depths along the sides of the stage. These could be raised up and down or even pushed onto the stage (blocked from view by the towers) and used to light the most difficult nook or cranny on the set. Most scenes were bathed in cool to deep blues and every scene was given quite subdued levels of lighting, with many dark shadows around every corner. This and the stark surroundings of the towers helped to create some wonderfully atmospheric moments.

David Hersey: 
This project has been absolutely unique - it is completely unlike anything I've ever been challenged with in my entire life. You have these very large towers in the set, which are constantly in motion. The whole question of movement is such that it's as if we were making a film, so the lighting rig has had to reflect this problem. I worked together with the set designer fairly early on, and when the basic concept of the towers was established, it became clear straight away that we would need lights that could move. We've employed a lot of computer controlled lamps which pan and tilt - not to show off in a rock and roll way, but in order to get the light in the right place at the right time. Very often there's only one lamp in the correct position, so it has to be the right colour, and consequently too we've had to use a lot of colour changes. [BW Brochure Notes]

You can watch the whole show on Youtube. After every scene or song the lights go out on large parts of the stage and an army of stage hands quickly moves furniture or other set parts around. Not to mention the people inside the periaktoi. And I think I spotted the actors helping out occasionally, probably in violation of union contracts. Seriously, it was crazy and, according to the description, somewhat dangerous.

So I think this set is not just a way to keep costs under control, it's a counter reaction to what its ill fated predecessor did. Chess has many different locations, 47! in the original BW staging. It's just too stressful. So Mayer decided to do the opposite: A mostly static set, which then has to be neutral, and not much entering and exiting the stage.

One last thought: I'm reminded of Mayer's staging of Spring Awakening. Even less of a set, don't quite remember where the musicians sat, but sometimes even part of the audience was seated on the stage. It worked quite well.

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 01:42 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 1:46pm

MERCH

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 3:23pm

Telecharge lists a running time of 2:40, including intermission. 

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 5:09pm

Mary_Poppins said: "RippedMan said: "It looks cheap and like a high school production. We’d doing risers on a Broadway stage? Yawn."

I have a hunch that the set is not as cheap as it may look.

And the main purpose of the risers seems to be to put the orchestra on the stage. They also do some scenes up there and (I guess) they use the dimly lit space under the risers as the "dark corners" where the agents do their dirty dealings. Lea also posted a picture of herself sitting there with the description "Florence is pissed". I think they will get a lot of mileage out of this simple design.

While Danny claimed he hasn't even read the 1988 BW script, I think that version's crazy set was a warning to keep it simple. Spoiler tags because this explanation is quite long:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The Broadway design needed to provide many more locations than had been required in London and with a much more realistic atmosphere.

Robin Wagner:
When we got to the new script the only visual idea that emerged very strongly from me was the idea of the wall that lies between East and West. When I discussed that with Trevor, he also felt very strongly that that was a very specific image. We also talked about the idea of people who are literally blocked in by walls and have to move in and out of labyrinth types of structures because of the nature of their lives and their politics. I initially envisioned wall-towers - large objects that stop you from being free. These units soon turned into periaktoi, the reason they came out as three­ sided is because it was geometrically the simplest form.

Thus the basic concept of moving walls and enclosed spaces was created, using 12 huge moving periaktoe (triangular) towers - six 21’ tall and six 11’6” tall with 7' sides. Each of the tall towers weighed 550 pound. These were to be mechanically moved around on a stage which would include a large 28' central revolve.

The towers were made from drilled out aluminium (to make it lighter) covered in foam board and flame proof material. The facade of the towers were given a poured concrete finish, which gave them the effect of being a huge wall that constantly reformed itself to become buildings, interiors, arenas or parts of the city, creating around 47 different locations.

Robin Wagner:
This did not want to be a statement about classical Siamese dancing or the Budapest String Quartet. No one was interested in that. We wanted to tell a story of espionage and people being torn apart by politics. And a love story which had nothing to do with architecture whatsoever. The use of multiple periaktoi proved to be the best way to define 47 different locations without turning the show into a spectacle.

The pallet of the new design was to be predominately neutral, with the grey concrete of the towers being only occasionally relieved by colour or brighter hues. Within two sides of each tower were six small periaktoi, these could be revolved to change the texture or colour of the tower side. One side - the Bangkok panels - had what Robin Wagner called a sort of Trump Tower look - with brass facings. These could turn again to show the Budapest panels - a kind of old world panelling. The panels on the third side of the small towers had images of various product logos for use during The Merchandisers.

Robin Wagner:
We realised that the best way to move these things around would be to put a human inside of each one. In­stead of machines imitating human capabilities, these are men imitating machines. The operators have become part of the set. They have been directed and rehearsed like an ensemble. It is like dance.

On the whole this new method did work, but it was not the high precision process originally imagined. With the towers being required to pass by within inches of each other, occasionally they did have minor collisions. Many hours of rehearsal were required to make the scene changes as smooth as possible, not to mention safe for tower operator and cast. By the time the show opened, the towers had become an extremely intricate and effective part of the performance. The swift cinematic style scene changes were endlessly fascinating to watch and lent the production a slick elegant style that aimed to keep the pace of the show at the right level. Although the set was quite dull in colour, the towers were enthralling to watch, providing a fascinating backdrop to the substantially interesting story that was being told in front of them.

Robin Wagner:
The set could not exist without the director. If Trevor Nunn hadn't directed the moves, it couldn't work. It has needed directing as much as the actors have; indeed, the twelve towers that comprise its basic structure have been in rehearsal with the rest of the company from day one. [BW Brochure Notes]

Lighting was an important element of this production, creating atmosphere and intrigue in numerous scenes.Due to having to light a constantly moving set. The lighting designer, David Hersey, who had also lit London, was faced with various problems with how to get the lights into the right position to light the characters and not cast numerous shadows caused by the towers. Most stage lighting is hung above the stage, with some additional lights and spotlights located in front of the proscenium arch. This simply wasn’t going to provide enough options in this case and so a series of moving trusses were created which were located at various depths along the sides of the stage. These could be raised up and down or even pushed onto the stage (blocked from view by the towers) and used to light the most difficult nook or cranny on the set.Most scenes were bathed in cool to deep blues and every scene was given quite subdued levels of lighting, with many dark shadows around every corner. This and the stark surroundings of the towers helped to create some wonderfully atmospheric moments.

David Hersey:
This project has been absolutely unique - it is completely unlike anything I've ever been challenged with in my entire life. You have these very large towers in the set, which are constantly in motion. The whole question of movement is such that it's as if we were making a film, so the lighting rig has had to reflect this problem. I worked together with the set designer fairly early on, and when the basic concept of the towers was established, it became clear straight away that we would need lights that could move. We've employed a lot of computer controlled lamps which pan and tilt - not to show off in a rock and roll way, but in order to get the light in the right place at the right time. Very often there's only one lamp in the correct position, so it has to be the right colour, and consequently too we've had to use a lot of colour changes. [BW Brochure Notes]

You can watch the whole show on Youtube. After every scene or song the lights go out on large parts of the stage and an army of stage hands quickly moves furniture or other set parts around. Not to mention the people inside the periaktoi. And I think I spotted the actors helping out occasionally, probably in violation of union contracts. Seriously, it was crazy and, according to the description, somewhat dangerous.

So I think this set is not just a way to keep costs under control, it's a counter reaction to what its ill fated predecessor did. Chess has many different locations, 47! in the original BW staging. It's just too stressful. So Mayer decided to do the opposite: A mostly static set, which then has to be neutral, and not much entering and exiting the stage.

One last thought: I'm reminded of Mayer's staging of Spring Awakening. Even less of a set, don't quite remember where the musicians sat, but sometimes even part of the audience was seated on the stage. It worked quite well."

I agree and I think people should reserve judgement until they see how it all works.  I do think however as someone else said we do need to take into account the cost factor.  A revival generally doesn't run long enough to make back a $25-$30M budget spent on big sets and costumes so this is where they go when they are being sensible about trying to recoup..

Just one correction. Nik posted the comment that Florence is pissed re the pic of Anatoly and Svetlana with Florence in  the background and linked to Lea lol.

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 05:09 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 6:44pm

EvaLupone said: "Idk I am going tonight and legit so excited. I have no idea what to expect but I am sure it’s going to be fabulous!"

Enjoy it!