CHESS Sets June 21 Closing- Page 3
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#50
Posted: 5/26/26 at 11:34pm
A shame, I really enjoyed this production despite its glaring flaws. Here's hoping Hannah Cruz books a role where she gets to be on stage for more than half a show next.
Understudy Joined: 2/10/18
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#51
Posted: 5/27/26 at 12:30am
Bobster159 said: "That Times article is generous to Lea. Shewas clearly a massivepart of Chess's early success, but the wheels came off monthsago with her still in the cast. Any replacement star has to sell not just to new audiences but to returning ones too, and that's a huge ask for a mid-tier title."
Still odd the grosses only started falling of after her vacation and the show announcing her departure though.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#52
Posted: 5/27/26 at 12:49am
jpbran said: "Long term sales for Lea M’s replacement must have lookedbleak.
Reallywish they could’ve filmed this… The last filmed version has such terrible audio which is a shame."
I never listened to the show all the way through until this current version, and the main reason was that the mixing on every recording was awful. I couldn't make out the lyrics on any of them.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#53
Posted: 5/27/26 at 1:26am
I suppose it’s possible that the Chess revival was doomed by the announcement of Lea Michele’s upcoming departure - prompting her fans to think she had already left the show.
But there is a more likely explanation: The show, whatever the virtues of its score and musical performances, just wasn’t regarded as very good. Some people love Chess, or at least the score, and that contingent yielded its excellent box office for several months.
I agree that Lea Michele is the biggest draw in Chess. The numbers back that up. When the producers were trying to revive the flagging box office, they sent Michele - and only her - out to promote it on the talk shows in March. I saw Lea Michele staring down at me during my week in New York City, and we seriously considered seeing it as one of 9 shows I saw that week.
In the end, we decided against it. I think Nicholas Christopher is a terrific performer and was tempted to see it just for that reason. I had never seen Michele (not for lack of trying; she was out both times we tried to see Funny Girl) or Tveit.
But the show sounded so dumb, and the reviews didn’t really persuade me. Biden and Trump jokes? There’s nothing less appealing to me than a show promising meta commentary throughout.
The first Broadway incarnation of Chess flopped a lot harder, as noted. Musical revivals always run out of steam after a time. The successes make enough money while they’re still hot (Hello, Dolly; Sweeney Todd; Merrily We Roll Along). Sweeney is such a good musical that even Thomas Kail’s disappointing direction couldn’t doom it.
Chess isn’t one of those musicals. Even its biggest fans groused about the book. It’s not a classic and didn’t have a magical combination of stars that made it a must-see show long after the diehards had seen it.
So the box office faded, perhaps earlier than expected, but it was an easy ticket during the same week in March when Lea Michele was promoting the musical on TV appearances.
The situation is unfortunate for Levesque, but the advance must have been awful.
I don’t think the failure of a divisive musical revival that has never succeeded in America and got mediocre word of mouth is a sign that all musicals are doomed. We just tend to see things that way given the current environment.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#54
Posted: 5/27/26 at 6:49am
blaxx said: "DottieD'Luscia said: "Have they announced a Che for Evita? Perhaps a role for Nicholas Christopher?"
It will be Rodriguez. Would be shocked if Lloyd fires him to cast someone like Nicholas Christopher who is a completely different type"
Christopher could definitely pull off Perón though. The man is a true chameleon and his list of credits in the last few years show that he can nail pretty much whatever is thrown his way. (Sweeney, Pirelli, Jelly, Seymour, Anatoly, Washington).
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/2/13
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#55
Posted: 5/27/26 at 7:26am
quizking101 said:
Christopher could definitely pull off Perón though. The man is a true chameleon and his list of credits in the last few years show that he can nail pretty much whatever is thrown his way. (Sweeney, Pirelli, Jelly, Seymour, Anatoly, Washington).
After a year of social media marketing I don't see them suddenly dropping Diego.
I also think part of Jamie Lloyd's style is the visual balance of the stage picture, and Mr. Christopher's height would throw that off.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#56
Posted: 5/27/26 at 7:32am
I've seen someone doubt Chess will ever have a good book. They feel the fault lies with the character of Florence. She has no dreams or ambitions of any import that we know of, and her character just bounces back and forth between two men who are emotionally unavailable. That story trap is compounded by the fact that all of her songs cover the same emotional territory. Unless someone is willing to change or jettison the songs at the risk of undermining the show’s best asset (the score), her character arc can’t be fixed. It’s trapped in a prison of hit songs.
Lauren LaMagna of Next Best Picture tweeted a few weeks ago “People have been trying to fix this musical’s book for the past 40 years when in reality, CHESS DOESN’T NEED A BOOK.” She's clearly among those who feels that they should just stick with the original sung-through version.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#57
Posted: 5/27/26 at 8:01am
quizking101 said: "I know it would never happen, but I wanted to eventually see Jordan Donica as Anatoly"
That casting would have been amazing.
I'm really sorry to see this close and am glad we went back last week for a second viewing.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#58
Posted: 5/27/26 at 8:01am
Inception said: "quizking101 said:
Christopher could definitely pull off Perón though. The man is a true chameleon and his list of credits in the last few years show that he can nail pretty much whatever is thrown his way. (Sweeney, Pirelli, Jelly, Seymour, Anatoly, Washington).
After a year of social media marketing I don't see them suddenly dropping Diego.
I also think part of Jamie Lloyd's styleis the visual balance of the stage picture, and Mr. Christopher's height would throw that off."
Quizking101 wasn't suggesting Diego be dropped. Diego played Che in the West End production. Quizking101 suggested Christopher could play Juan Peron, who was played by James Olivas (who is also American and seemingly well-received, so not necessarily likely to be recast either).
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#59
Posted: 5/27/26 at 8:07am
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "I've seen someone doubt Chesswill ever have a good book. They feelthe fault lies with the character of Florence. She has no dreams or ambitions of any import that we know of, and her character just bounces back and forth between two men who are emotionally unavailable. That story trap is compounded by the fact that all of her songs cover the same emotional territory. Unless someone is willing to change or jettison the songs at the risk of undermining the show’s best asset (the score), her character arc can’t be fixed. It’s trapped in a prison of hit songs.
Lauren LaMagna of Next Best Picture tweeted a few weeks ago “People have been trying to fix this musical’s book for the past 40 years when in reality, CHESS DOESN’T NEED A BOOK.” She's clearly among those who feels that they should just stick with the original sung-through version."
there was a scene about Florence before Heaven Help My Heart that I believe is what Lea and Danny spoke about working on before previews and then they cut it during previews. I really liked the scene and it was Florence opening up about her childhood and why she couldn't compete internationally but also how Chess helped her survive the loss of her parents. I wish Michael and Danny would have made judicious cuts elsewhere to keep it in but they just cut it for time it seems so as usual Florence lost out in the story stakes.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#60
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:02am
bear882 said: "I suppose it’s possible that theChessrevival was doomed by the announcement of Lea Michele’s upcoming departure - prompting her fans to think she had already left the show.
But there is a more likely explanation: The show, whatever the virtues of its score and musical performances, just wasn’t regarded as very good. Some people loveChess, or at least the score, and that contingent yielded its excellent box office for several months.
I agree that Lea Michele is the biggest draw inChess. The numbers back that up. When the producers were trying to revive the flagging box office, they sent Michele - and only her - out to promote it on the talk shows in March. I saw Lea Michele staring down at me during my week in New York City, and we seriously considered seeing it as one of 9 shows I saw that week.
In the end, we decided against it. I think Nicholas Christopher is a terrific performer and was tempted to see it just for that reason. I had never seen Michele (not for lack of trying; she was out both times we tried to seeFunny Girl) or Tveit.
But the show sounded so dumb, and the reviews didn’t really persuade me. Biden and Trump jokes? There’s nothing less appealing to me than a show promising meta commentary throughout.
The first Broadway incarnation ofChessflopped a lot harder, as noted. Musical revivals always run out of steam after a time. The successes make enough money while they’re still hot (Hello, Dolly; Sweeney Todd; Merrily We Roll Along).Sweeneyis such a good musical that even Thomas Kail’s disappointing direction couldn’t doom it.
Chessisn’t one of those musicals. Even its biggest fans groused about the book. It’s not a classic and didn’t have a magical combination of stars that made it a must-see show long after the diehards had seen it.
So the box office faded, perhaps earlier than expected, but it was an easy ticket during the same week in March when Lea Michele was promoting the musical on TV appearances.
The situation is unfortunate for Levesque, but the advance must have been awful.
I don’t think the failure of a divisive musical revival that has never succeeded in America and got mediocre word of mouth is a sign that all musicals are doomed. We just tend to see things that way given the current environment.
I’ll write a full analysis this weekend explaining why this version is so ****ing good. Not because it’s perfect, but because it actually understands the material instead of treating Chess like some dusty 80s relic.
People keep judging it based on old criticism and productions they’ve never even seen. Meanwhile, this version finally embraces the political satire, the absurdity, and the emotional core of the story instead of running away from it.
The Biden and Trump references aren’t random jokes — they modernize the East vs. West tension and show that political theater hasn’t changed, only the faces have. That’s exactly in the spirit of Chess.
They also make it clear that the Arbiter exists in the present day. He’s telling a story that took place in the 1970s, but he’s not just narrating it from the outside. He actively participates in it by moving the chess pieces and manipulating the action. As Arbiter, he literally and metaphorically hovers above the players and the conflict itself. The modern references reinforce that framing device and make his role much more interesting than in traditional productions.
And the idea that the story is impossible to follow, a comment often made, remains ridiculous to me. I understood it perfectly as a kid in 1986 without English even being my first language. The problem is not the show. The problem is that too many people walk into it already convinced it doesn’t work.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#61
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:02am
The show simply wasn’t good. Mostly unintelligible lyrics and the story, completely farfetched and absurd and yet it takes itself seriously. Why Lea and Aaron even decided to do this is beyond me.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/2/13
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#62
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:02am
Ahh I misread. Thanks for correcting me.
MemorableUserName said: "
Quizking101 wasn't suggesting Diego be dropped. Diego played Che in the West End production. Quizking101 suggested Christopher could play Juan Peron, who was played by James Olivas (who is also American and seemingly well-received, so not necessarily likely to be recast either)."
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#63
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:17am
inception said: "Ahh I misread. Thanks for correcting me.
MemorableUserName said: "
Quizking101 wasn't suggesting Diego be dropped. Diego played Che in the West End production. Quizking101 suggested Christopher could play Juan Peron, who was played by James Olivas (who is also American and seemingly well-received, so not necessarily likely to be recast either)."
"
I also didn’t know that the W/E Peron was also American and therefore a strong contender to stay on. But yeah, I was implying Christopher could be Peron based on his authoritative and commanding presence.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#64
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:34am
Chess superfan here — even those of us who adore this show aren’t surprised. This was never going to have a long run. It was about redemption and turning the page on the ’88 Broadway production.
That being said, I thought the marketing for this revival was a colossal missed opportunity. I loved the original Broadway poster and felt that it gave you some sense of what the show was about. The current poster and marketing just seemed lazy. Yes, it conveyed that the show had stars, but it didn’t tell you anything else. If I had never heard of the show and/or wasn’t a Lea Michele fan, it wouldn’t exactly make me want to learn more or buy a ticket.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#65
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:35am
Fred Mason said: "The show simply wasn’t good. Mostly unintelligible lyrics and the story, completely farfetched and absurd and yet it takes itself seriously. Why Lea and Aaron even decided to do this is beyond me."
judt because Chess doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean it can't appeal to other people. some of us have been Chess fans for decades.. Ever heard of to each their own?
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#66
Posted: 5/27/26 at 9:56am
I don’t know that any amount of revisions will make the book work, but the choice to make it a meta commentary on how absurd the show is definitely was a move that undercut the production. How could anyone invest emotionally when it felt like every scene ended with Bryce Pinkham shouting a variation of, “Well THAT just happened in our COLD WAR MUSICAL”?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#67
Posted: 5/27/26 at 10:51am
quizking101 said: "inception said: "Ahh I misread. Thanks for correcting me.
MemorableUserName said: "
Quizking101 wasn't suggesting Diego be dropped. Diego played Che in the West End production. Quizking101 suggested Christopher could play Juan Peron, who was played by James Olivas (who is also American and seemingly well-received, so not necessarily likely to be recast either)."
"
I also didn’t know that the W/E Peron was also American and therefore a strong contender to stay on. But yeah, I was implying Christopher could be Peron based on his authoritative and commanding presence."
This would also go against Lloyd wanting to cast latin/hispanic actors in the leading roles. I don't believe Christopher would fit that category.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#68
Posted: 5/27/26 at 11:01am
Kad for the win here. The last and best word on Strong's decades-long effort: too little, and too wrong.
I've spilled a lot ink on the production's flaws, focusing on Florence's underdeveloped yet over-sung character. But I don't believe the show's marketing was ever the problem. The last thing we needed to see was that drop curtain in the Imperial, the USSR vs USA theme/plot highlighted unduly. If anything, the Cold War components are the most distancing, since the superannuated romantic triangle's participation in international diplomatic crises - that ludicrous interpolation of Able Archer in act 2 - is where the material strains mightily. Ultimately, the show's core problem is just rudimentary: the absence of an evening's worth of stakes. Will Freddie implode, will Anatoly stay westernized, will Florence sing yet again about The {Man 1, Man 2} That Got Away? It's a small story writ with bombast. From here on, let it sing, let it be loud, but toss out the damned book(s). As Bennett and Nunn knew early, less has always been more.
Swing Joined: 11/20/24
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#69
Posted: 5/27/26 at 11:04am
suzcap said: "Bobster159 said: "That Times article is generous to Lea. Shewas clearly a massivepart of Chess's early success, but the wheels came off monthsago with her still in the cast. Any replacement star has to sell not just to new audiences but to returning ones too, and that's a huge ask for a mid-tier title."
Still odd the grosses only started falling of after her vacation and the show announcing her departure though."
Did they, though? Looks like a very steady, almost linear downward trajectory to me since all the way back last year. They very obviously plummeted when Lea was out on vacation, but her departure announcement really doesn't stand out as a turning point to me.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#70
Posted: 5/27/26 at 11:14am
Huss417 said: "quizking101 said: "inception said: "Ahh I misread. Thanks for correcting me.
MemorableUserName said: "
Quizking101 wasn't suggesting Diego be dropped. Diego played Che in the West End production. Quizking101 suggested Christopher could play Juan Peron, who was played by James Olivas (who is also American and seemingly well-received, so not necessarily likely to be recast either)."
"
I also didn’t know that the W/E Peron was also American and therefore a strong contender to stay on. But yeah, I was implying Christopher could be Peron based on his authoritative and commanding presence."
This would also go against Lloyd wanting to cast latin/hispanic actors in the leading roles. I don't believe Christopher would fit that category."
While he is Bermudian, that is more of African descent, not Hispanic/Spanish.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#71
Posted: 5/27/26 at 11:17am
Pretty sure he's actually from Bermuda, not the Bahamas.
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#72
Posted: 5/27/26 at 11:21am
TheatreMonkey said: "Pretty sure he's actually from Bermuda, not the Bahamas."
I corrected myself - thanks for that. I knew it felt off when I was typing it
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#73
Posted: 5/27/26 at 11:29am
The road show presentation definitely makes me think the real question with these Broadway productions isn't "will it make a profit on Broadway," but "will it sell on tour and then do well in licensing?" Broadway and an OCR is now the very expensive Super Bowl commercial for musical-theatre-as-licensing-product, because without both of those, the answer is always "no."
CHESS Sets June 21 Closing#74
Posted: 5/27/26 at 12:33pm
It's very unfortunate when a show closes and actors, musicians, crew and theatre staff will be out of work. I consider myself fortunate to have seen the show twice. First time was in November, right after the opening, and the second time a few weeks ago. Loved every minute of it. Very unfortunate that cast member Casey Garvin was injured not long after the show opened, and wasn't able to return.
Several comments here on the thread referred to the Trump & Biden jokes in the show and being in bad taste. So......? It's really no big deal. And, the show isn't shoving anything down anyone's throats.
The original London cast recording is sublime. I'm not that familiar with the original Broadway cast recording. First time I saw "Chess" was in spring 1990 in the national tour, lead by Carolee Carmello. She was fantastic. Saw the show again in October 1990 with the Long Beach Civic Light Opera here in So Cal, headlined by Jodi Benson. The show is one of my favorites.
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