Lea Michele to Take Go away from Broadway’s Chess: Efficiency Dates Introduced

Lea Michele Pronounces Dates Off From Chess on Broadway

The previous Glee star is main the revival of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’s musical on the Imperial Theatre.

Chess star Lea Michele has introduced upcoming, deliberate absences within the Broadway revival of the musical, which started performances on the Imperial Theatre November 16. Previews started October 15, and the prolonged run is presently set to proceed by means of Could 3, 2026.

Michele shared her dates off in a narrative on her Instagram: December 14 and 16, 2025; January 23, 2026; February 18–22; April 1–5; and the matinee on April 11. Michele’s understudies, Katerina Papacostas and Samantha Pollino, will cowl for her on these dates.

Nicholas Christopher is main the musical’s Broadway return as Anatoly Sergievsky, with Tony winner Aaron Tveit as Freddie Trumper, Michele as Florence Vassey, Hannah Cruz (Suffs) as Svetlana, Bradley Dean (The Phantom of the Opera) as Molokov, Sean Allan Krill (Jagged Little Tablet) as Walter, and Bryce Pinkham (Vacation Inn) as The Arbiter.

The corporate additionally consists of 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, Regine Sophia, and Katie Webber. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Jason Thinger.

READ: Lea Michele Says the Chess Rating Is a ‘New Anthem’ for Her

With music from ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and lyrics by Tim Rice, this revival is refreshed with a brand new ebook by Emmy winner Danny Sturdy (Starvation Video games: Mockingjay Half 1 & 2), and a artistic workforce that includes director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and choreographer Lorin Latarro (Waitress). Brian Usifer serves as music supervisor.

The artistic workforce additionally consists of scenic designer David Rockwell, costume designer Tom Broecker, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer John Shivers, video designer Peter Nigrini, affiliate director Johanna McKeon, and affiliate choreographer Travis Waldschmidt.

Primarily based on an thought by Rice (and initially that includes a ebook by Richard Nelson), Chess tells the story of American and Russian chess champions taking part in a match towards one another—and competing for a similar lady—on the peak of the Chilly Warfare.

READ: Danny Sturdy Has Spent a Decade Rewriting the E book for Chess. Now It is Lastly Coming to Broadway

The musical started as an idea album launched in 1984, after Tim Rice had mulled over the concept of a musical in regards to the Cuban Missile Disaster for almost a decade along with his frequent collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber, by no means fairly starting the undertaking. Within the early Eighties, he approached Andersson and Ulvaeus, who had been itching to search out artistic initiatives exterior of their hit pop music group ABBA. The idea album dominated the charts worldwide, reaching quantity three on the U.S. Billboard Sizzling 100, and earned world crucial acclaim. Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson’s duet “I Know Him So Nicely” even ranked primary on the U.Ok.’s singles charts for a month, and “One Evening in Bangkok” was a world hit.

WATCH: Be taught About Chess‘ Sophisticated Journey Again to Broadway in New Streaming Documentary

The album’s reputation appeared to vow a profitable theatrical adaption, however the unique West Finish manufacturing opened in 1986 to blended opinions. Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg, and Murray Head, who all carried out on the idea album, introduced their roles to life onstage as a part of the unique London forged, with Siobhán McCarthy taking Barbara Dickson’s place. Prolific director Michael Bennett was initially signed on to helm, however pulled out as a result of his declining well being, and Cats director Trevor Nunn took over. Bennett’s imaginative and prescient initially was to create a “multimedia” expertise for audiences, with the theatre crammed to the brim with tv screens, and the stage reworked right into a tilted chess flooring. The stage present’s ebook expanded the unique plot explored within the idea album, with the runtime peaking at three hours and quarter-hour lengthy. London critics have been admittedly dazzled by the rating and scenic imaginative and prescient for the present, however almost all expressed the ebook as being problematic to what would in any other case be a artistic revelation.

The next Broadway manufacturing—which starred David Carroll, Judy Kuhn, Philip Casnoff, and Marcia Mitzman—opened to an much more adverse crucial reception, with reviewers nonetheless praising the rating and the person performances. Closing after simply 17 previews and 68 performances, it appeared Chess’ probability for achievement had handed. However by way of the idea album and later forged recordings from varied stage productions, Chess discovered a faithful viewers within the years since its premiere. Along with a number of excursions and West Finish revivals, a 2008 London live performance staging that includes Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, and Kerry Ellis was recorded and launched each as an album and a live performance movie.

Chess is being produced by Tom Hulce, Robert Ahrens, and The Shubert Group, together with Artistic Companions Productions. The manufacturing is being offered by association with Three Knights and Robert Fox Ltd.

Go to ChessBroadway.com.

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Images: Chess on Broadway