Broadway's 'Chess' Revival Seeks Redemption with Star-Studded Cast

Broadway's revival of the musical "Chess" is set to open this month at the Imperial Theatre, and the show's star-studded cast is determined to make it a hit. Producers are banking on the popularity of performers like "Glee" star Lea Michele, Tony winner Aaron Tveit, and rising star Phillip Boykin to help the show succeed, despite its troubled history on Broadway.

The original 1988 production of "Chess" closed after just two months, receiving a frosty reception. But the show, with music by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, has since developed a cult following. This new iteration, directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer and with a rewritten book by "Dopesick" creator Danny Strong, aims to redeem the musical for a modern audience.

The three lead actors, who bonded over the summer while workshopping the show, express confidence in the production's chances. They say the creative team worked closely with them to craft a fresh take on the story, which revolves around a chess tournament between an American and a Soviet grandmaster, with a woman caught in the middle.

"Michael and Danny have been working on this for years," Tveit says. "They could have easily said, 'This is what you're going to do,' and we would have respected that. Instead they said, 'What do you think?'"

The cast is inspired by the recent success of another notorious Broadway flop, "Merrily We Roll Along," which found redemption with its Tony-winning 2023 production. And Michele's acclaimed turn in the "Funny Girl" revival has given them more confidence about succeeding despite the odds.

As the world faces a fractious political climate, the cast believes the musical's themes of division and the threat of nuclear war will resonate with audiences. But they also promise the show has a secret sauce of humor and energy that will keep theatergoers engaged.