Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher in 2025 Chess Revival!- Page 19

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 4:48am

TheatreFan4 said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "
it would be nice if we could go a day without pitching women against each other."

I'm not pitting them against each other, Lea just has a horrible ass attitude and I very much feel like that that is the reality of the situation that her divadom would never allow her to be overshadowed byher understudy which would happen if Hannah went on for her."

you really need to stop believing everything some people in the Glee cast say. im not saying Lea was perfect but multiple people have said that stuff was blown out of proportion and the diva stuff was from some female cast members who had a bad case of the green eyed monster and some of whom know they will only get attention by saying negative things about Lea.

The Funny Girl cast has been uniform in their praise of Lea as a nice person and good leader.  Anne Nathan,  who also worked with Lea when she was a child in Ragtime said Lea was very generous to people backstage and was a real leader of the company.

others have said the same. certain female members of the Glee cast ( and I mean those around from season 1 ) shouldn't be given the final word on Lea as a person. 

 

[Owen22]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 6:19am

TheatreFan4 said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "
it would be nice if we could go a day without pitching women against each other."

I'm not pitting them against each other, Lea just has a horrible ass attitude and I very much feel like that that is the reality of the situation that her divadom would never allow her to be overshadowed byher understudy which would happen if Hannah went on for her."

Oh please. No one is going to EVER overshadow the talent that is Lea Michelle.

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 6:55am

in other news, Nik posted a pic on his IG stories of the table of folders and I zoomed in on Daniel Beaman's folder and he is the understudy for The Arbiter and Walter and him as the Arbiter understudy makes a lot of sense.

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 8:20am

GirlFromOz68 said: "in other news, Nik posted a pic on his IG stories of the table of folders and I zoomed in on Daniel Beaman's folder and he is the understudy for The Arbiter and Walter and him as the Arbiter understudy makes a lot of sense."

Using that same method, here is what I saw:

U/S Freddie: Aleks Pevec, Adam Halpin

U/S Anatoly: Casey Garvin, Ramone Nelson

U/S Florence: Katerina Papacostas, Samantha Pollino

U/S Svetlana: Samantha Pollino

U/S Arbiter: Daniel Beeman

U/S Molokov: Shavey Brown

U/S Walter: Shavey Brown, Daniel Beeman

Michael Milkanin also appears to be understudying roles, but I couldn’t read the binder beyond the U/S

In that same picture, it also appears that Mark Jacoby has been cast as Florence’s father.

 

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 08:20 AM

[Ball of Buttah]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 8:35am

bway1430 said: "Mary_Poppins said: "Every time this happens I'm tempted to write my Magnum Opus about how 90% of these diva stories don't even add up. But that would turn this thread into an epic mess."

It already is."

Thank goodness for MP's restraint. This thread is nowhere near MHE's mess of a thread. Hopefully it never gets there. I'll be seeing this on Nov 4 and report on what the "almost concert" is about. At least I know there'll be phenomenal singing all around. 

 

[Huss417]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 9:33am

Ball of Buttah said: "bway1430 said: "Mary_Poppins said: "Every time this happens I'm tempted to write my Magnum Opus about how 90% of these diva stories don't even add up. But that would turn this thread into an epic mess."

It already is."

Thank goodness for MP's restraint. This thread is nowhere near MHE's mess of a thread. Hopefully it never gets there. I'll be seeing this on Nov 4 and report on what the "almost concert" is about. At least I know there'll be phenomenal singing all around.

"

I think we will know well before November 4th. :) Also I am glad to see this thread has been wiped of a lot of the back and forth garbage that had persisted.

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 09:33 AM

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 9:38am

TheatreFan4 said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "
it would be nice if we could go a day without pitching women against each other."

I'm not pitting them against each other, Lea just has a horrible ass attitude and I very much feel like that that is the reality of the situation that her divadom would never allow her to be overshadowed byher understudy which would happen if Hannah went on for her."

Did you pull this conclusion that has no basis in reality out of your ass? You're like one of these tiktokers who keep repeating the "she can't read" joke. It's tiresome and it's dumb.

You also might be aware of the fact that people change as they age. It's called prefrontal lobe development. That's why things that we did as teens and in our early 20s make us cringe and feel shame. Women who have children undergo drastic change to their brain chemistry. Lea is almost a 40 years old woman and a mother. It is entirely possible to believe that she has changed from what she used to be. And there's evidence to that.

We all change. If you haven't and perceive people around you on the same level as you did as a teen, it's out of norm.

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 9:56am

quizking101 said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "in other news, Nik posted a pic on his IG stories of the table of folders and I zoomed in on Daniel Beaman's folder and he is the understudy for The Arbiter and Walter and him as the Arbiter understudy makes a lot of sense."

Using that same method, here is what I saw:

U/S Freddie: Aleks Pevec, Adam Halpin

U/S Anatoly: Casey Garvin, Ramone Nelson

U/S Florence: Katerina Papacostas, Samantha Pollino

U/S Svetlana: Samantha Pollino

U/S Arbiter: Daniel Beeman

U/S Molokov: Shavey Brown

U/S Walter: Shavey Brown, Daniel Beeman

Michael Milkanin also appears to be understudying roles, but I couldn’t read the binder beyond the U/S

In that same picture, it also appears that Mark Jacoby has been cast as Florence’s father.

"

well done! you did better than me and I had been looking for who would be Florence's dad.

That's a nice touch having Mark be Lea's character's father as they were both in the original cast of Ragtime.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 10:06am

Very close - Peter Friedman played Lea’s father in Ragtime. Mark Jacoby was indeed named ‘Father’, though. 

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/3/25 at 10:12am

BorisTomashevsky said: "Very close - Peter Friedman played Lea’s father in Ragtime. Mark Jacoby was indeed named‘Father’, though."

I'm well aware that Peter Friedman played her father in Ragtime, I said Mark Jacoby was in Ragtime with  her not that her played her father.  When I said it was a nice touch he was playing Lea's character' father I meant Florence's father in Chess, not Ragtime. 

Updated On: 9/3/25 at 10:12 AM

[Mary_Poppins]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 12:07pm

So tomorrow they'll release a snippet of "Where I Want To Be"?

[Huss417]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 1:23pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "Very close - Peter Friedman played Lea’s father in Ragtime. Mark Jacoby was indeed named‘Father’, though."

Maybe you should reread what they said instead of correcting someone where it need not be.

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 3:06pm

Mary_Poppins said: "So tomorrow they'll release a snippet of "Where I Want To Be"?"

seems like it.  Which means next week we get Lea's snippet.

I had a question about the video designer Peter Nigrini for those who have seen his work on other shows.  what would you be expecting in regard to video design from him for Chess?

[Mary_Poppins]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 4:30pm

GirlFromOz68 said: "
I had a question about the video designer Peter Nigrini for those who have seen his work on other shows. what would you be expecting in regard to video design from him for Chess?"

 

I have NOT seen his work live, but I looked him up yesterday. He's been doing this for a while

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Nigrini

https://www.nigrini.net/resume

and there are a few videos near the bottom of this page:

https://www.nigrini.net/

He has lots of experience, three Tony nominations and even was a lecturer at NYU. I think he would be up to the job, but it depends on how much space and money they will give him. A screen with a talking head and some chess-themed projections as in "oh, and let's have some multimedia stuff" won't cut it. To really make a difference, director, set design, lighting, choreography and costume all have to be willing to work with him.

 

Updated On: 9/4/25 at 04:30 PM

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 6:25pm

Mary_Poppins said: "GirlFromOz68 said: "
I had a question about the video designer Peter Nigrini for those who have seen his work on other shows. what would you be expecting in regard to video design from him for Chess?"

I have NOT seen his work live, but I looked him up yesterday. He's been doing this for a while

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Nigrini

https://www.nigrini.net/resume

and there are a few videos near the bottom of this page:

https://www.nigrini.net/

He has lots of experience, three Tony nominations and even was a lecturer at NYU. I think he would be up to the job, but it depends on how much space and money they will give him. A screen with a talking head and some chess-themed projections as in "oh, and let's have some multimedia stuff" won't cut it. To really make a difference, director, set design, lighting, choreography and costume all have to be willing to work with him."

That's been my other question about Chess. how much are they spending on this show? 
 

Updated On: 9/4/25 at 06:25 PM

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 6:46pm

FYI for the person who asked

Total production capitalization is 15 million 

The full physical production budget is 4 million.  

Weekly nut is just shy of 1million.   

[Mary_Poppins]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 7:28pm

Famebroadway2 said: "FYI for the person who asked

Total production capitalization is15 million

The full physical production budget is 4 million.

Weekly nut is just shy of 1million."

Where does one get this kind of information?

 

A capitalization of 15 million seems to be the standard for mid to largish sized productions, but the the weekly nut is always the subject of endless "informed guesses" on the Broadway boards.

I once saw one of those rare stories in a major newspaper that had numbers and was amazed/horrified that,IIRC, in one case just "hauling in" the set cost 2 million. A total physical production budget of 4 million won't leave enough for a big style, state of the art installation, which could cost north of a million.

Based on the promotion so far I'm not getting the vibe that they are planning to go that route anyway. That may have worked in London to some extent but today it's not exactly revolutionary any more and the standards are too high.

Updated On: 9/4/25 at 07:28 PM

[GirlFromOz68]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 7:55pm

Famebroadway2 said: "FYI for the person who asked

Total production capitalization is15 million

The full physical production budget is 4 million.

Weekly nut is just shy of 1million. "

Thank you

[quizking101]

Posted: 9/4/25 at 8:37pm

I’m VERY curious as to what this show is going to look like if their budget is only $15 million. While I imagine Aaron and Nick are getting decent lead salaries, Lea is probably making more than both of them. Plus the large ensemble and all of the technical work. The math doesn't add up for me.

The $1M breakeven does sound about what I would expect though. The real question is if they are going to be able to become a hit. In doing some quick math - in order to make $1M on a completely sold out week (no comps), the ATP would need to be $85.17 to break even. For a conservative estimate, let’s say they should aim for and ATP of $105.00

Right now, their advanced sales absolutely suck, and their lowest price ticket without fees is $89 ($104 on Telecharge), and it exponentially increases from there. They are trying to get people to bite at the highest amount possible first before going down and audiences aren’t going for it. (Personally, I did - but I had some extra savings for getting other shows much cheaper)

If you look two weeks into previews, some houses are about 25% sold (not accounting for any tickets withheld). While we know that audiences are buying tickets much closer to the show date now, the lack of any sort of discount to get buzz going and seemingly riding on Tveit and Michele to sell this otherwise esoteric/niche musical is going to blow up in their face. Michele is not going to strike gold twice. FUNNY GIRL seemed pre-ordained from her, but nobody was exactly begging for her in a revival of CHESS.

I would not put it past them to end up throwing a few preview performances up on TDF unless they starting, pun intended, playing the game and motivating their advance sales. They may clean up around the holidays (like every show) but they definitely don’t want to start further in the red, especially when they will lose money on performances Michele is out.

 

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Updated On: 9/4/25 at 08:37 PM

[binau]

Posted: 9/5/25 at 3:07am

To me, it actually looks like the first 5 performances (all I've checked) are very well sold. At the level where it seems like there is at least a little bit of hype around this. The only way for it to actually turn profit I would predict is they need Merrily buzz that the show has been 'fixed', otherwise I suspect middling word of mouth about the show will kill the show after Lea Michelle and Aaron fans have dried up.

[bear88]

Posted: 9/5/25 at 3:57am

I have learned to mistrust the Telecharge seating charts because I assume (with rare exceptions) that the producers are holding plenty of seats back. Maybe Ragtime isn’t because of the Lincoln Center subscriber base and the show’s status as a modern classic that should sell well in its early months.

But Chess? Lea Michele’s drawing power is unproven outside of the unique alchemy of Funny Girl. Tveit has a fan base but I’m not sure how large. Christopher is a fine actor but he isn’t a celebrity. 

The show is going to have to be good, maybe not at the level of Merrily We Roll Along but in that ballpark - unless I am underestimating Michele’s ability to sell tickets for months and months at premium prices when not playing Fanny Brice - which I might be.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 9/5/25 at 9:55am

Shows always hold seats back for contractual obligations and to fulfill house seats. I swear every time a new show starts selling tickets yall completely forget how any of this works. 

And I see that Lea is still living rent free in heads on this board. I’d love to know how those still harping on outdated (and full of inconsistencies) stories if they’d like their lives hampered by things they did in their early 20s. Love throwing stones in those glass houses don’t ya folks.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/5/25 at 10:08am

binau said: "To me, it actually looks like the first 5 performances (all I've checked) are very well sold. At the level where it seems like there is at least a little bit of hype around this.”


A good portion of that hype is also due to the fact that this is one of the few musicals opening this Fall (so far). It’s also a show that’s unknown to a lot of people so in a way it is a new musical for a good portion of “younger” theater-goers. The production has a lot going for it - a hot cast, no real “new” competition, Casey Garvin. I think it’s going to do much better than it maybe would have in a more crowded season.

 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/5/25 at 10:22am

As somebody who has I think nearly every recording of this show. This cast should sell this. Word of mouth will help incredibly, they all just need to sing the crap out of it . 

[malcs98]

Posted: 9/5/25 at 1:23pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOMS-OaQZtg

I gotta say Nicholas Christopher was definitely the right choice for Anatoly. You can definitely hear the emotion here. If this is the warmup for his "Anthem," I think we're in good hands here!