Chess 2025

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 12:39pm

In a new interview with the Irish News, Sir Tim Rice states that he’s working on a 2025 Broadway production of Chess (though there is no mention of timing or cast).

Let the dream casting…begin!

[CJRochester]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 1:14pm

There was already some talk last year about Lea Michele as Florence. I'm all for that. 

Updated On: 12/23/24 at 01:14 PM

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 2:24pm

Lea Michele, Ramin Karimloo, Laura Osnes, Adam Pascal 

[scripps]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 2:25pm

I would like Ali Louis Bourzgui to be in this, it doesn't matter as who.

[mshalo18]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 2:33pm

CJRochester said: "There already some talk about Lea Michele as Florence. I'm all for that."

I’ve heard talk of Jessica Vosk for Florence and Lea Michele as Svetlana. Regardless, I’m there for any Chess revival.

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 2:58pm

You heard wrong but to be fair I think people got confused between Jessica playing the role at MUNY and this incoming Chess production.

In this Michael Mayer production Lea is Florence and it appears she was attached before she even did Funny Girl. Lena Hall confirmed this in a comment on TikTok earlier this year when she said she only played Florence at the NYC Concert in December 2022 because Lea had to pull out of the concert.  

So timeline line seems to be the Chess concert in December 2022 was supposed to be Lea's return with an eye to it coming to Broadway but then she got Funny Girl so had to pull out of the concert as her FG schedule and workload made it impossible for her to do it (yes Ramin did the concert but his FG workload was a lot lighter than Lea's) 

This is the role she's been teasing since May 2023 but of course as she said she wanted a break after FG then she had her daughter so 2025 it is, my guess is 25/26 season later in 2025.

Michael clearly wants Ramin for Anatoly as he cast him in the first run of this version of Chess in 2018 at the Kennedy Centre concerts and again for the NYC concert it's just a matter of if Ramin wants to commit to a longer run on Broadway as he's mostly done short run gigs since FG finished, and him doing Pirates for a couple of months from April to June means if he's going to do it he won't be available until later this year.

I hope he does it as he and Lea are magic together and I'd love to hear them sing Mountain Duet and You and I.

If he does, that leaves Freddy and Svetlana and Freddy needs to be someone who can manage Pity The Child eight times a week. 

Also a reminder that Svetlana is only in Act 2. 

Random casting (even though I know there are people who Michael has had in some of these roles since the DC run): Brian Stokes Mitchell as Molokov.  I'd love to see him do The Soviet Machine. 

Updated On: 12/23/24 at 02:58 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 8:15pm

Theatrefanboy1 said: "Lea Michele, Ramin Karimloo, Laura Osnes, Adam Pascal"

Laura Osnes LOL , NO! Lea & Ramin are Mayer's 2 stars he wants for it next season! Pascal is an interesting and great choice!

Updated On: 12/23/24 at 08:15 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 6:02am

CJRochester said: "There was already some talk last year about Lea Michele as Florence. I'm all for that."

Sign me up for this! Just the mere thought of Lea Michele singing "Nobody's Side" gives me chills.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 9:24am

I’d love to curl up with Sara Bareilles as Florence. Please and thank you.

[Huss417]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 9:54am

Theatrefanboy1 said: "Lea Michele, Ramin Karimloo, Laura Osnes, Adam Pascal"

I'd go with 3 out of the 4.

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 10:54am

Interesting that there’s no interest in Laura Osnes in the cast.  How about a Stephanie J Block or lea Salonga 

[Jumpin_J]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 10:54am

Lea Michelle has all but confirmed she's in it, likely as Florence. From 2023. 
https://www.queerty.com/lea-michelles-next-move-and-guess-who-bernadette-peters-replaced-20230603

[raddersons]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 11:36am

There is murmurs of a Chess every single year and very rarely do they actually come to fruition.

I’ll believe it when I see it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[jagman106]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 12:55pm

Adam Pascal was in a concert version of Chess in I think, 2005?  His rendition of "Pity the Child" was the best I ever heard, and I only heard a recording of it. I'd  pay a small fortune to hear him sing it live.

[BJR]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 4:38pm

Lea is indeed why is got bumped back from winter '24. I heard 2025 was then the plan, though.

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 7:43pm

jagman106 said: "Adam Pascal was in a concert version of Chess in I think, 2005? His rendition of "Pity the Child" was the best I ever heard, and I only heard a recording of it. I'd pay a small fortune to hear him sing it live."

Adam Pascal was indeed fabulous in the 2008 London concert version of Chess and if he was 10 years younger I would say sign him up now but at 54 he's aged out of the role. '

 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 11:56pm

There were murmurings that Lea dropped out of this in 2024, as she reassessed her career post-Funny Girl. Has she alluded to this production at all within the past ~9 months?

I know she’s very close with Michael Mayer, but considering all the offers she must have, Chess is not THAT great a role.

Updated On: 12/25/24 at 11:56 PM

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 12/25/24 at 2:02am

She said in May at the Met Ball that she was still attached to the same project but that she wanted a break after FG as that was a draining show and she was then pregnant and that the people involved with the show were very well aware of all of this.   Doesn't sound like she's dropped out of the show at all, just delayed to have her daughter and have some family time post pregnancy but I guess we'll find out in the next six months.

 

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 12/25/24 at 12:23pm

Investors certainly want to hedge their bets with a bankable name (I know that’s no assurance, but…). Leah will certainly sell tickets, especially after her run in Funny Girl. I’m sure that producers are willing to wait - within reason - until she’s ready.
Rice certainly made it sound as if this production will happen at some point in 2025. 

[jpbran]

Posted: 12/26/24 at 1:05pm

GirlFromOz68 said: "jagman106 said: "Adam Pascal was in a concert version of Chess in I think, 2005? His rendition of "Pity the Child" was the best I ever heard, and I only heard a recording of it. I'd pay a small fortune to hear him sing it live."

Adam Pascal was indeed fabulous in the 2008 London concert version of Chess and if he was 10 years younger I would say sign him up now but at 54 he's aged out of the role. '

His Pity The Child is my favorite, but that production's audio is soooo terrible. Such a shame. 


"

 

[Penna2]

Posted: 12/28/24 at 2:28am

GirlFromOz68 said: 

So timeline line seems to be the Chess concert in December 2022 was supposed to be Lea's return with an eye to it coming to Broadway but then she got Funny Girl so had to pull out of the concert as her FG schedule and workload made it impossible for her to do it (yes Ramin did the concert but his FG workload was a lot lighter than Lea's)

Ramin was doing a podcast during the run of FG and alluded to doing a show now that the book had been changed most people believed he was talking about Chess even though he didn't say so directly. I do think that Lea's pregnancy put a halt to the show going forward at that time once FG closed. Since Pirates is a short run (also a concert he did during FG), I would be surprised if Chess wasn't mounted for Fall of 25. I have to agree that he didn't have the workload of Lea in FG (he said as much himself - it was Lea's show), he, however, did do the Chess concert, the Pirates concert, a couple of Seth Rudensky concerts, a show in New Jersey about an aging wrestler, a few concerts with his band at a local winery...and an Italian production of Phantom during the run of FG. Guy likes to keep busy...and, yes, I'm a fan. In any event, would love for them to work together again - magical stage chemistry.

 

 

[Taumbu]

Posted: 12/28/24 at 1:34pm

I recently heard they are talking to Adam Lambert for the role of The American. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 12/28/24 at 6:14pm

Sweaty is running laps on TikTok claiming they have a house.

Updated On: 12/28/24 at 06:14 PM

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 12/28/24 at 6:30pm

DiscoCrows said: "Sweaty is running laps on TikTok claiming they have a house."

Let me take a wild guess without watching- the Imperial ? 

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 12/29/24 at 10:02am

I’m with you on this! It would be a great role for her (Sara)