Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher in 2025 Chess Revival! — Page 14

Ball of Buttah said: "kmpellicone said: "I think it's someone who also played the role of Eliza in the Angelica tour of Hamilton...."

I think you're right! Lea started following her on IG and Hannah is now following Chess and Lea. Good catch."

Yes, Svetlana will be played by a woman of color.

Ball of Buttah said: "kmpellicone said: "I think it's someone who also played the role of Eliza in the Angelica tour of Hamilton...."

I think you're right! Lea started following her on IG and Hannah is now following Chess and Lea. Good catch."

Hannah is a fantastic choice! Thrilled about this possibility!

Mary_Poppins said: "Ball of Buttah said: "kmpellicone said: "I think it's someone who also played the role of Eliza in the Angelica tour of Hamilton...."

I think you're right! Lea started following her on IG and Hannah is now following Chess and Lea. Good catch."
Could she be the Florence understudy instead?"

I could also see Hannah as the alternate Florence, if Lea isn't doing 8 shows a week.

GirlFromOz68 said: "Lea is doing 8 shows a week. They were only casting for a standby not an alternate.

Also, if she was only do 7 shows a week we would already know from the Chess site.They haven't advised of Lea not doing one day a week, only her scheduled days off. She's having a couple of days off in December, one in January and a week in February.

The role of Florence isn't as taxing as Fanny. For a start shehas more time off stage and she doesn't have to dance. This is also far more of an ensemble show. The producers of FG wanted her doing seven not eight so she wouldn't burn out. That was their decision not hers."



All correct, but I asked about 'understudy', not 'alternate'. As in: If they're casting Hannah, maybe it's not for Svetlana.

It's largely the same team for Swept Away, less a couple of players.

Ball of Buttah said: "Mary_Poppins said: "All correct, but I asked about 'understudy', not 'alternate'. As in: If they're casting Hannah, maybe it's not for Svetlana."

Uh, I may not know much (or Lea at all). But that girl ain't following an understudy. She only followed Ramin in Funny Girl."

Well, I do know nearly as much as is publicly known about her, and that's not the problem. Usually, she has an arbitrary set upper limit on the number of people she follows (with her public account) which she constantly has maxed out or even exceeded. On FG, she of course was kind of obliged to follow Ramin but otherwise hung out or went to concerts with some ensemble members.

What I find more convincing is that Hannah is at a point where she wouldn't accept the standard ensemble plus understudy job.

I only asked because Hannah seems similar enough to Lea, both looks and voice, to jump in for her. I don't know much about Hannah, so I may be wrong.

I was responding to the person before me who wondered if Lea was only doing 7 shows like in FG. Hannah could be her standby , but my comment was about whether she was her alternate and there is no sign of Lea not doing 8 shows a week.

@GirlFromOz68

sorry, I got that mixed up!

Mary_Poppins said: "@GirlFromOz68

sorry, I got that mixed up!"

no worries! very easy to do.

getatme said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "Hannah would not accept ensemble at this point, nor would her agent advise her to.

She could be Svetlana and understudyFlorence, though."

This is, in fact, what she's doing. Hannah is Svetlana and first cover Florence. They decided not to hire a standby and all covers will from from the ensemble (and Hannah)."

I was actually starting to wonder if that was what they were doing. I knew from the casting notices a few months back that Aaron and Nik's covers were going to come from the ensemble so this decision is not entirely surprising.

Anyone seen or heard discount codes for it yet?

I just checked lots of dates for out of town folk looking at their calendars. It's not terribly well sold yet. As several opine, expect mailers and codes by Labor Day.

Does anyone yet know if the production is stylized and performed with a smaller core company, say on a unit set, or in this new iteration using the old school approach, i.e. an ensemble to sing and dance from "Merano" on. To me, it's a show that cries out for a new point of access into the material, whatever the period's verisimilitude captured in Strong's book. The Nelson book, in every way smart, historically informative, respectful of the show's origin - and alas deadly dull (I saw it twice) - tried to make the contrast between the two central locales enough to ground the piece. It didn't. It's a story that needs an audience investment in the stakes from the top. Still the biggest challenge.

Updated On: 8/13/25 at 08:47 PM

Mary_Poppins said: "Auggie27 said: "
Does anyone yet know if the production is stylized and performed with a smaller core company, say on a unit set, or in thisnew iteration using the old school approach, i.e. an ensemble to sing and dance from "Merano" on. "



We don't know, ofc, but to me the promo material hints at the former. Small, modern, dark, focused on the psychodrama of the lead trio.

If I was the director, I would ruthlessly skip all the ensemble numbers. The first two in particular are just a big noisy mess that just confuses the audience, and they are not even catchy. They were probably meant to set the scene, provide background and illustrate the high stakes of it all, but actually do none of that. Better just have someone narrate what's going on, in a calm clear voice, perhaps using some carefully designed video in the back, i.e. not that fairly cheap material i've seen from previous versions. Basically, a concert version with the "small" scenes fully fleshed out.

Too bad they can't kill the One Night In Bangkok number which comes out of left field, doesn't fit in stylistically and does very little except reiterate that Freddie must be some kind of jerk. I swear that song is based on a leftover from some other project.



ETA: Yes, I know that someone will remind me that this version will likely be close to the Kennedy Center/Broadhurst performances, but one can dream. If you want to really improve Chess, timid little edits have been demonstrated to be ineffective again and again.

Realistically, they will likely do those little edits, maybe move some numbers around, add another reprise and ultimately rely on the sheer prowess of the main cast. Not the worst approach. These three are second to no other cast I was able to find on the Net."

Given the casting notices were calling for people who could dance and they have Lorin Latarro as choreographer suggests they won't be going small and from what I have read over the years the fact that Trevor Nunn stripped out all of Michael Bennett's ideas when it came to Broadway (he retained some of his ideas on the West End as think they were far enough in he couldn't change everything ) and Trevor's cutting the spectacle out of it seemed to play a role in it flopping I don't think it's going to follow that lead.

That said, Danny did strip out some of the meaningless ensemble stuff in the concerts but we'll have to wait to see if he's stripped out anymore.

Updated On: 8/14/25 at 10:48 PM