The Skimm: Broadway’s Bold Move
The board is set, the pieces are in motion, and the game is underway. Yes, theatre fans, the great “unsolved case” of musical theatre is back. Chess, the musical with a score so brilliant it’s a global obsession and a book so notoriously messy it’s a “legendary” theatrical meme, has finally returned to Broadway for the first time since 1988. And let’s be clear: this isn’t just a revival. This is a redemption.
If you consider seeing it, ignore the critics who dig deep to take issue with the structure, the song selection, and whether the messages are overemphasized. Go for the score, the amazing voices, and a great re-interpretation of the story to make it more straightforward to audiences who have not lived through the Cold War.
This fall, the Imperial Theatre is home to a very bold move for Broadway. They’ve brought in the heavy hitters: a new, “exhilarating” book by Dopesick‘s Danny Strong, slick direction from Spring Awakening and Funny Girl‘s Michael Mayer, and a “powerhouse trio” of leads. Tony-winner Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge!) is the bad-boy American. Breakout star Nicholas Christopher (Sweeney Todd) is the stoic Russian, and to me, he stole the show with his singing. And in the center of it all is Lea Michele, fresh off her triumphant run in Funny Girl, as the woman “caught in a high-stakes battle of desire and devotion”. Forget what you think you know about Chess. This production aims to be the definitive version, striking a balance between the overly theatrical 1988 Broadway version and the sung-through version featured in the Royal Albert Hall recording, which includes Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, and Adam Pascal. To me, it’s a must-see, must-hear event of the season.
The Story: Politics, Passion, and Pawns
So, what’s the “Skimm” on the plot? Chess is the ultimate Cold War allegory, using the 1980s World Chess Championship as a “metaphor for… East-West political intrigue”. The story, originally conceived by lyricist Tim Rice , was inspired by the real-life “Match of the Century” between the erratic American Bobby Fischer and the Soviet champ Boris Spassky.
In this 2025 version – which was actually workshopped at the Kennedy center in 2018 – the story is clearer and more thrilling than ever. We have Freddie Trumper (Tveit), the “brash” American champion—a rockstar narcissist with a massive chip on his shoulder. He’s facing Anatoly Sergievsky (Christopher), the “disciplined” Soviet grandmaster who is suffocating under his country’s control. The pawn—or is she the Queen?—in this game is Florence Vassy (Michele), Freddie’s manager and a Hungarian refugee who despises the Soviets as she was a victim of the 1956 uprising in Budapest.
Things get complicated fast. When Florence and Anatoly meet, they spark a “seductive showdown” of their own, leading to Anatoly’s defection. Act Two moves the game to Bangkok, where Anatoly’s estranged wife (Svetlana) appears and gets one of the new songs, and the CIA and KGB handlers turn the love triangle into a global political crisis. Danny Strong’s new book infuses true-life Cold War plotlines,” transforming the famously confusing story into a high-stakes political thriller where love, loyalty, and freedom are all on the line.
To me, the material is very personal as I grew up in a divided Berlin and witnessed both the tensions during the Cold War personally, jogging with my Dad alongside the wall in the America sector in the south of Berlin, and the eventual fall of the wall on November 9th, 1998, while attending the Technical University of Berlin, less than a mile away from brave east Berliner’s jumping over the wall at the Brandenburg Gate. At first, the dual role of Pryce Pinkham (who starred in the Kennedy Center workshopped version with Ramin Karimloo) – as both the Narrator and Arbiter was “too much in my face,” explaining what I consider trivialities and felt a bit like “slapstick” in an “Operation Mincemeat” sense. But then it struck me that for today’s audiences, 40 years from the concept albums and 60 years from the events that inspired them, these reminders are of critical importance.
The Music: A Score That Slayed the World
Let’s be honest: the music is why Chess is a legend. Before it was a stage show, it was a “highly successful” 1984 concept album from the musical geniuses behind ABBA—Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus —and EGOT-winner Tim Rice. This isn’t just a great score; it’s a collection of Mount Everest-level anthems.
And this new production has hired the world’s best climbers.
The score is a glorious mix of ’80s rock opera, soaring ballads, and pop-synth. You already know the hits: the chart-topping “One Night in Bangkok” (which opens Act Two) and the heart-shattering duet “I Know Him So Well”. But it’s the deep cuts that define this show. The production I saw confirmed the early word from previews that the vocals are, to put it mildly, “insane.” Nicholas Christopher’s “Anthem” (Anatoly’s Act One finale) is a “vocal powerhouse” moment that stops the show cold. Aaron Tveit’s “Pity the Child” is a “complex” and “sleazy” rock wail. And Lea Michele? She “slayed” Florence’s notoriously difficult songs, from the defiant “Nobody’s Side” to the romantic “Heaven Help My Heart.” This is a “glorious concert” of a score, and this cast is singing it for the gods. In the preview I saw, Christopher was the one stealing the show, and it wouldn’t be fair not to mention Hannah Cruz as Svetlana. She fits right in and is fantastic. While some critics argue that her “new” song, “He Is A Man, He Is A Child,” does not quite fit in (it was actually written in 2000 for a Swedish revival), to me, it is a great addition to further strengthen the storyline.
The Staging: A Modernist Game Board
How do you stage a show that’s part political thriller, part rock concert, and part intimate love story? Director Michael Mayer, who knows how to blend spectacle and emotion , has opted for a sleek, modern, and tech-heavy production. The creative team is a murderer’s row of Tony-winners, including scenic designer David Rockwell and video designer Peter Nigrini.
Instead of the literal set of the 1986 London version, this Chess uses a “modernist and sparse” aesthetic. Think clean lines, dramatic lighting (from Kevin Adams ), and massive video projections that whisk the audience from Merano to Bangkok. The focus is squarely on the “three stars” and Lorin Latarro’s sharp, ensemble-driven choreography.
Preview audiences were deeply divided on this high-concept design, with some calling the set “horrible” and one particular prop—a “trapdoor bed” for the love scene—being described as an “abomination.” To me, it worked really well, balancing the powerhouse music and singing with fun details, such as the nuclear rockets among the chess pieces.
The Reception: Will This Fix Finally Work?
This is the 40-year-old question. Chess has always been a “cult musical that refuses to die”. So, has this team finally cracked the code?
The buzz is deafening. The cast has been making the rounds, from The Tonight Show to exclusive interviews. Audiences and critics seemed to agree: this production is a vocal triumph. The positive reactions are ecstatic about the singing, with people “nearly falling out of my dang chair,” as did I. Tveit’s acting is being praised as the “strongest” of the leads, giving Freddie a new “sympathetic” depth. And then, to me, Christopher stole the show with “Anthem” being absolutely out there, and Lea Michele, for me, exceeded the humongous expectations everybody had of her. IMHO, she is in the same ballpark as Nicole Scherzinger’s powerhouse vocal performance in “Sunset Boulevard” that I had the privilege of experiencing both in New York and London.
Is the “legendary mess” fighting back? The big critique from previews? “Zero chemistry” between the romantic leads, Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher. Ouch. I didn’t think so, but I was just one wee off from yesterday’s official premiere, so the previews definitely helped. Some reports mention “wooden” acting (a common complaint when singers are focused on hitting impossible notes) and that the show is “3 hours long”. To me, the score and singing are a 10/10. The drama – which was always a work-in-progress and should not be a surprise as the starting point was a concept album and spawning many variations, including a hilarious “space chess,” has reached an outstanding balance between story telling narrative combined with the fantastic music.
The Skimm: Get Your Tickets!
So, what’s the final move? Get tickets.
This revival is probably the theatrical event of 2025. It’s a chance to hear one of the greatest scores in musical theatre history sung by three of the most powerful vocalists on the planet.
This production has already solved half the problem: it sounds unbelievable. Whether you think Michael Mayer and Danny Strong can solve the other half—the “impossible book” —is up to you. As the saying goes in Germany: “Can’t debate taste said the monkey, bit into the soap and walked away.” But who cares? This is your chance to witness Broadway history. It’s a “seductive showdown of love, loyalty, and power” , and it’s a gamble that is paying off in goosebumps. Don’t miss it.
Here are some links to round it up:
- Get Tickets: https://chessbroadway.com/
- Meet the Cast:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HCTr-sprmo)
- The Story of the ‘Fix’: https://portland.broadway.com/buzz/all-the-right-moves-danny-strong-and-michael-mayer-talk-chess/
- Lea Michele on Her Return:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpaeHkxkrDo)
StageAficionado 