Chess 2025 — Page 9

Sorta official now, no cast announcement yet.



https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Michael-Mayer-Directed-CHESS-To-Open-On-Broadway-In-Fall-2025-20250522

I just looked at the EPA and it says all of the principals are cast except for Svetlana.

The8re phan said: "getatme said: "As Kad said, Ramin is not attached. Someone else will be playing anatoly."

Groban??? He sang it beautifully in the concert version.......

please no. he can certainly sing but he was a block of wood as an actor in that.

Updated On: 5/23/25 at 06:54 AM

I hear it's Lea, Aaron, and Nick Christopher. And no Svetlana yet.... who would you want?

Erin V said: "They probably can’t “officially” release anything untilthe theater they are moving to announces the closing date of whatever show is currently running."

Majestic? Broadhurst? Imperial?

always bway said: "I hear it's Lea, Aaron, andNick Christopher. And no Svetlana yet.... who would you want?

"

I could see Solea Pfeiffer for sure.

It'll play a Shubert house but they are holding on announcing which until shows start posting closing notices.

Since I brought up the post-Nelson book and the show's apparent gnarly unfixability, here's a take on the new version, from Variety's review of the Kennedy Center Encores!-esque staging in 2018.

"Unfortunately, Strong’s new book — as is generally said of the Chess rewrites that preceded it — underscores the intractability of the musical’s convoluted tale, an implausible love triangle involving the U.S. and Russian chess grandmasters, and the women they love, during the cold war politics of the 1970s and ’80s. It remains comically contrived, especially as act two focuses on the menacing pair of CIA and KGB agents that repeatedly threaten the players if the next match isn’t thrown. Meanwhile, the personal sagas head for a predictably maudlin ending ... Like the two grandmasters on stage, lyricist Rice and company might have more chin stroking to do before making their next move with the troubled musical. If indeed the new script is the determining factor, they could be at stalemate."

Updated On: 5/23/25 at 11:28 AM

Lea, Aaron, and Nicholas, for sure.

I’d love to see Solea reprise her Svetlana, and I would especially love to hear her and Lea blending on “I Know Him So Well”.

Updated On: 5/23/25 at 11:50 AM

I had heard an announcement was planned for around this time of May, though obviously things are in flux. But key art and various marketing assets are ready to go.

There's nothing necessarily stopping them from making a teaser announcement with a theatre tba later, particularly since the audition notice confirmed the production.

Auggie27 said: "Since I brought up the post-Nelson book and the show's apparent gnarly unfixability, here's a take on the new version, from Variety's review of the Kennedy Center Encores!-esque staging in 2018.

"Unfortunately, Strong’s new book — as is generally said of the Chess rewrites that preceded it — underscores the intractability of the musical’s convoluted tale, an implausible love triangle involving the U.S. and Russian chess grandmasters, and the women they love, during the cold war politics of the 1970s and ’80s. It remains comically contrived, especially as act two focuses on the menacing pair of CIA and KGB agents that repeatedly threaten the players if the next match isn’t thrown. Meanwhile, the personal sagas head for a predictably maudlin ending ... Like the two grandmasters on stage, lyricist Rice and company might have more chin stroking to do before making their next move with the troubled musical. If indeed the new script is the determining factor, they could be at stalemate.""

I wonder if any audience member actually cares, though. You either love this score or you don't. And I think people really don't much mind about the complexity or lack of complexity. I don't think that's what causes this show to regularly lose money (am I wrong? I thought the original London production was a hit).

I think a show about the Cold War is always going to have trouble attracting audiences post-Cold War/post-USSR. I also think beyond the big hit "One Night in Bangkok," the score has never broken through to the general public. And I think most of the dramatic situations are hypotheticals--maybe someone throws a game, maybe someone loses--which just aren't dramatically very interesting. About the only thing that actually happens in the show, action-wise, is Florence leaving Freddy for Anatoly, Anatoly defecting and Anatoly winning the game. But none of that really leads to anything. One knows there will be another game, and another round of pressue to influence the outcome. We've witnessed a skirmish, not a war. It's dramatically inert, and by its very nature has to remain so (unless the CIA and KGB agents in the show start kidnapping/killing people for not complying with their plans). To me, those are the real issues the show faces.

And in spite of those issues, I still love the show. As I think most musical theater fans do.

Updated On: 5/23/25 at 01:43 PM

BroadwayNYC2 said: "It will be the Broadhurst."



Yup 100%!

Curious who the arbiter might be. Bryce Pinkham was great in the concert and played the newer book humor well. But - really enjoyed Raul Esparza in the 2003 concert. Groban too . murney didn’t do it for us.