Chess 2025- Page 3

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 1/21/25 at 9:33am

GirlFromOz68 said: "So Sweaty is reporting that Chess is taking the St James Theatre after Sunset Blvd and that both Lea & Ramin are doing it, as well as Bradley Dean, who was Molokov in both the DC & NYC concerts of this version of the show.

If he's right I'm a bit surprised they are going for as big a theatre as the St James, I mean I get it to some extent as they can sell it as Lea & Ramin reuniting after the success of Funny Girl but Chess is a very different type of show to Funny Girl."

Sweaty vs the rumor in the Evita thread that it’s Evita’s theater. Unless this is a limited fall run and that takes it spring 2026. 

Updated On: 1/21/25 at 09:33 AM

[Melissa25]

Posted: 1/21/25 at 9:38am

Yawn.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/21/25 at 9:41am

OuttaTowner said: "I’d like to see Jeremy Jordan or Colton Ryan have a whack at Freddy. Maybe Isaac Cole Powell?"

Jeremy Jordan is the only of these three that could have a rock voice necessary for “Pity The Child”, but even then, I feel like it would shred his voice 8x week.

 

[TBFL]

Posted: 1/30/25 at 10:55pm

If Chess did go into the St Jams, the Sunset leads wouldn't even need to move out of their dressing rooms

Florence - Nicole Schersinger

Freddie - Tom Francis

Anatoly - David Thaxton

Svetlana - Grace Hodgett Young

I'd pay to see it.

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 6:25pm

Shouty man says this is on indefinite postponement. 

[mshalo18]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 7:34pm

theatergoer3 said: "Shouty man says this is on indefinite postponement."

I commented on the perspiring pundit's video that Lea Michele posted on her Instagram stories a few days ago that she had exciting news coming- so unless things went belly up shortly after her post, I'm going to hope he's wrong.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 8:08pm

As recently as last week, Broadway marketing agencies were working on pitches for this, so if it is postponed it happened very recently. 

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 8:29pm

Kad said: "As recently as last week, Broadway marketing agencies were working on pitches for this, so if it is postponed it happened very recently."

I wonder if  - if it's true - and the sweaty one said economy related (and Next to Normal too) if its about what happened over the weekend with tariffs. I saw a video from a guy who has a construction business today who said the costs of lumber for his business would nearly double if the tariffs happened so maybe it's those sort of costs that could be driving this if it happens.

Also Lea's post was just on Friday. So maybe its just a rumour because of everything that was going on this weekend.

Damnit if this is true. 

Updated On: 2/3/25 at 08:29 PM

[Penna2]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 8:51pm

GirlFromOz68 said: "Kad said: "As recently as last week, Broadway marketing agencies were working on pitches for this, so if it is postponed it happened very recently."

I wonder if - if it's true - and the sweaty one said economy related (and Next to Normal too) if its about what happened over the weekend with tariffs. I saw a video from a guy who has a construction business today who said the costs of lumber for his business would nearly double if the tariffs happened so maybe it's those sort of costs that could be driving this if it happens.

Also Lea's post was just on Friday. So maybe its just a rumour because of everything that was going on this weekend.

Damnit if this is true."

Tariffs on hold for 30 days. Trudeau decided to talk.

[BJR]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 9:35pm

Penna2 said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "Tariffs on hold for 30 days. Trudeau decided to talk."

Tariffs on hold cuz Canada and Mexico are doing exactly they already planned to do. It was always a dangerous stunt, not based on anything measurable.

Real Q is maybe Lea's announcement is something else, which puts CHESS on ice as it searches for another name.

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 2/3/25 at 9:58pm

Lea said announcements. That did not suggest jumping out of Chess - it's also not sweaty's intel - his intel is economic reasons aka likely nervous investors in the current economy.

Her other announcements could be an album our a tour before Chess.  People should stop jumping to conclusions about Lea leaving a show she's been committed to since pre FG (she was supposed to do the December 2022 concert BEFORE she got FG but had to pull out due to her FG schedule once she was doing the show and Lena Hall stepped in) with a director she's been working with since she was 14 years old through 2, now 3 shows.

We don't even know if Sweaty is right, but his intel had NOTHING to do with Lea herself. He's made it very clear he's not a Lea fan so if it was related to her you would bet your life he would say so. 

If you have super secret intel on why Lea would drop out of a show she's committed to (and whatever her flaws she is loyal) and what show and when and how she is supposedly dropping out for please do share! Otherwise maybe we wait to see if the tiktok intel is true about economic reasons putting it on hold or if the show is going ahead as planned as someone else said they were just last week taking pitches for marketing. 

Updated On: 2/3/25 at 09:58 PM

[mitchern]

Posted: 2/6/25 at 10:09am

It's not like they're going to fix the book, but I'd still love to see it. 

 

[Penna2]

Posted: 2/6/25 at 3:25pm

mitchern said: "It's not like they're going to fix the book, but I'd still love to see it.

 

For what it's worth...not that the show is confirmed as going forward or that Ramin Karimloo will be part of the cast...he did say on his YT channel while still doing FG that there was a project he was likely going to do because he liked the changes made to the book. Most of the comments and those of his guests (I believe they were Will Swenson and Andrew Kober), the show in question was Chess, although Ramin didn't confirm one way or the other. I think it's worth seeing to just hear the great singing. :)

 

[The8re phan]

Posted: 2/6/25 at 6:03pm

Penna2 said: "For what it's worth...not that the show is confirmed as going forward or that Ramin Karimloo will be part of the cast...he did say on his YT channel while still doing FG that there was a project he was likely going to do because he liked the changes made to the book. Most of the comments and those of his guests(I believe they were Will Swenson and Andrew Kober), the show in question was Chess, although Ramin didn't confirm one way or the other. I think it's worth seeing to just hear the great singing. :)"

 

I believe Ramin may have been referring to the revisal of Pirates of Penzance (now called Pirates!) that he is starring in, starting  on Broadway this April along with Jinxx Monsoon and David Hyde Pierce

Updated On: 2/6/25 at 06:03 PM

[Penna2]

Posted: 2/6/25 at 6:40pm

No. Pretty sure it was Chess since he had already done the show in Japan in 2020, and concerts at Kennedy Center (2018) and the Broadhurst (2022). He specifically talked about changes to the book in the video, which is what everyone seems to talk about when discussing Chess. Pirates is being "modernized," but there isn't any real chatter about the book of the show.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 2/6/25 at 8:43pm

Penna2 said: "No. Pretty sure it was Chess since he had already done the show in Japan in 2020, and concerts at Kennedy Center (201 and the Broadhurst (2022). He specifically talked about changes to the book in the video, which is what everyone seems to talk about when discussing Chess. Pirates is being "modernized," but there isn't any real chatter about the book of the show."

Then why is Rupert Holmes being credited with a "new adaptation" credit? And if we're basing everything on "chatter", then there's been a lot more talk about the changes made (in this forum and elsewhere) to "Pirates!" than anything mentioned of "Chess" rewrites. And even if it's "modernizing" a G&S show, it would certainly include an adapter -- or book writer -- such as Rupert Holmes. But again, this is all "chatter".

Updated On: 2/7/25 at 08:43 PM

[rburton66]

Posted: 2/11/25 at 6:01pm

Tim Rice says Chess is “coming back to Broadway, believe it or not, this autumn.” 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/feb/11/stage-musicals-should-embrace-use-of-surtitles-says-lyricist-tim-rice

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 2/11/25 at 6:45pm

mitchern said: "It's not like they're going to fix the book, but I'd still love to see it.

The entertainment fund concert in 2022 was using a new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong.  Although not perfect, it gave some hope.

Updated On: 2/12/25 at 06:45 PM

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 10:05am

rburton66 said: "Tim Rice says Chess is“coming back to Broadway, believe it or not, this autumn.”



https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/feb/11/stage-musicals-should-embrace-use-of-surtitles-says-lyricist-tim-rice"

I hate to say this, but I fear that this interview may have been conducted BEFORE the producers put the show on indefinitie hiatus.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 11:47am

RumTumJM said: "rburton66 said: "Tim Rice says Chess is“coming back to Broadway, believe it or not, this autumn.”



https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/feb/11/stage-musicals-should-embrace-use-of-surtitles-says-lyricist-tim-rice"

I hate to say this, but I fear that this interview may have been conductedBEFORE the producers put the show on indefinitie hiatus."

...and nobody thought to, uh, revise his statements?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 2:51pm

I dunno about indefinite. The latest I'm hearing is that they've done the crunching and discovered they're too far in to pull back, so it's fall or never.

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 5:37pm

Kad said: "RumTumJM said: "rburton66 said: "Tim Rice says Chess is“coming back to Broadway, believe it or not, this autumn.”



https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/feb/11/stage-musicals-should-embrace-use-of-surtitles-says-lyricist-tim-rice"

I hate to say this, but I fear that this interview may have been conductedBEFORE the producers put the show on indefinitie hiatus."

...and nobody thought to, uh, revise his statements?"

Valid point! I just made that statement/assumption, because I feel like I've seen that type of scenario before. (But, then again, I've probably seen that scenario before, because an article or 2 indicated that a statement has since been proven false, by recent developments. Clearly, such a clarification wasn't present here.)

Either way, I'm rooting for the show. I, like so many of you, want to see it badly.

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 2/27/25 at 6:23pm

Any updates on this?

I know one of the prominent rumors is that the show would take the St. James after Sunset. Now, with Sunset closing...and another rumor that Queen Of Versailles is going there...anything new on the Chess front?

[DCS]

Posted: 2/27/25 at 6:51pm

I thought QOV was rumored to be taking the Palace Theatre. Glengarry is a limited run closing in June.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 2/27/25 at 8:52pm

DCS said: "I thought QOV was rumored to be taking the Palace Theatre. Glengarry is a limited run closing in June."

The Lost Boys has been announced for the Palace in the spring of 2026, so whatever plays after Glengarry Glen Ross will have to be another limited run.

Updated On: 2/27/25 at 08:52 PM