TV Writer Rewrites Iconic "Chess" Musical for Broadway Debut

In October 2025, a highly anticipated Broadway revival of the musical "Chess" is set to debut, with a rewritten book by acclaimed TV writer Danny Strong. The show, which follows two chess grandmasters, one American and one Soviet, during a chess tournament in the midst of the Cold War, has long been known for its convoluted plot.

Rather than letting the show's famous rock score by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wash over him, Strong was compelled to take on the challenge of fixing the show's storytelling. He approached the original creative team for permission, which was quickly granted, and set out to heighten the political stakes by infusing the plot with true-life Cold War events.

Strong's version, which will star Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher, also introduces a narrator to guide the audience through the complex narrative. After a successful run at the Kennedy Center in 2018 and a one-night concert on Broadway in 2022, the show is now set to officially open on Broadway on November 16, 2025.

"I believe it'll be crystal clear, actually," Strong said of his rewritten version. "And I feel like if it is, then we've already won." With the recent success of the Broadway revival of "Merrily We Roll Along," which also famously didn't work when it first premiered, Strong is hopeful that there is an appetite for reworking beloved but problematic musicals.