Broadway’s Chess is calling an early checkmate, and will play its final performance June 21 at the Imperial. The multi-extended revival had been slated to continue through September 13 with multi-platinum pop and R&B artist Joanna “JoJo” Levesque set to succeed Lea Michele as Florence Vassy beginning June 23. This new closing date cancels Levesque’s announced run in the revival.
As of the final performance, the revival will have played 34 previews and 241 performances, making it wildly more successful than the musical’s original 17 preview and 68-performance run. The revival has been an audience favorite since it began last year, but has struggled to attract audiences as newer productions have opened. The production received five Tony nominations for this year’s honors, earning nods for Nicholas Christopher, Hannah Cruz, and Bryce Pinkham’s performances; Kevin Adams’ lighting design; and Brian Usifer’s orchestrations, but notably was not included in the Best Revival of a Musical category.
“We are immensely proud of the extraordinary work this cast and creative team have done in reimagining Chess for a new generation of theatregoers while honoring the passionate fans who have championed this musical for nearly four decades,” said producers Tom Hulce, Robert Ahrens, and The Shubert Organization in a joint statement. “To see longtime fans and first-time audiences alike embrace this production so wholeheartedly has been incredibly rewarding for everyone involved and a powerful reminder of why Chess has endured for so many years. The opportunity to witness Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Nicholas Christopher perform this legendary score by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice alongside a company filled with some of Broadway’s most remarkable talent is something that will stay with audiences long after they depart the Imperial Theatre. Bringing Chess back to Broadway for the first time in nearly 40 years has been an enormous privilege, and we are extremely proud of everything this production accomplished during its historic Broadway run.”
The revival is led by Tony winner Tveit as Freddie Trumper, Christopher as Anatoly Sergievsky, Michele as Florence Vassy, Cruz (Suffs) as Svetlana, Bradley Dean (The Phantom of the Opera) as Molokov, Sean Allan Krill (Jagged Little Pill) as Walter, and Pinkham (Holiday Inn) as The Arbiter.
READ: 26 Revivals That Ran Longer Than Their Original Productions
The company also includes Kyla Louise Bartholomeusz, Daniel Beeman, Shavey Brown, Emma Degerstedt, Casey Garvin, Adam Halpin, Sarah Michele Lindsey, Michael Milkanin, Aleksandr Ivan Pevec, Aliah James, Sydney Jones, Sean MacLaughlin, Sarah Meahl, Ramone Nelson, Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard, Michael Olaribigbe, Katerina Papacostas, Samantha Pollino, Adam Roberts, Regine Sophia, and Katie Webber. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Jason Thinger.
With music from ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and lyrics by Tim Rice, this revival is refreshed with a new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong (Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2). Choreography is by Lorin Latarro (Waitress), and Brian Usifer serves as music supervisor.
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The creative team also includes scenic designer David Rockwell, costume designer Tom Broecker, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer John Shivers, video designer Peter Nigrini, associate director Johanna McKeon, and associate choreographer Travis Waldschmidt.
Based on an idea by Rice (and originally featuring a book by Richard Nelson), Chess tells the story of American and Russian chess champions playing a match against each other—and competing for the same woman—at the height of the Cold War.
READ: Danny Strong Has Spent a Decade Rewriting the Book for Chess. Now It’s Finally Coming to Broadway
The musical began as a concept album released in 1984, after Tim Rice had mulled over the idea of a musical about the Cuban Missile Crisis for nearly a decade with his frequent collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber, never quite beginning the project. In the early 1980s, he approached Andersson and Ulvaeus, who had been itching to find creative projects outside of their hit pop music group ABBA. The concept album dominated the charts worldwide, reaching number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and earned global critical acclaim. Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson’s duet “I Know Him So Well” even ranked number one on the U.K.’s singles charts for a month, and “One Night in Bangkok” was an international hit.
WATCH: Learn About Chess‘ Complicated Journey Back to Broadway in New Streaming Documentary
Chess is produced by Tom Hulce, Robert Ahrens, and The Shubert Organization, along with Creative Partners Productions. The production is presented by arrangement with Three Knights and Robert Fox Ltd.
Visit ChessBroadway.com
