(Bryce Pinkham (The Arbiter) and the cast of CHESS. CREDIT: Matthew Murphy, 2025)

by Tim Leininger

            It’s typical for producers of a musical revival to make some changes, bringing some new ideas to help make the musical feel fresh and different from previous productions. Immediately, I think of how Grease has been significantly altered to incorporate songs from the film, which can be exciting for some and disappointing for others. With the new revival of Chess — with book and lyrics by Benny Andersson (ABBA), Tim Rice (The Lion King), and Bjӧrn Ulvaeus (ABBA), based on an idea by Tim Rice, with a new book by Danny Strong — I think most people will be happy with the changes in the story and musical numbers while the staging and design has received some modern technical adjustments. Directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Lorin Latarro, Chess is running on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre at 249 W. 45^th St. in New York City.

            Chess has gone through significant rewrites over the years from the original concept album to the original West End production in 1986 to the significantly altered Broadway production in 1988, to Australian and Swedish versions that have significant changes as well. There are too many changes to list, so I’ll tell you how this version goes and if you think, “This isn’t how it went,” well, it’s probably because it isn’t the same Chess you saw last time, whatever version it may have been.

            Primarily set in 1979 during the Carter/Regan election cycle (Act I) and 1983 during the Able Archer 83 war scare (Act II). Cold War tensions are high, and the United States and the Soviet Union are on the brink of a shooting war. The Arbiter (Bryce Pinkham), who is the show’s narrator as well as the arbiter for the chess matches that take place in the show, walks us through the geopolitics of the time and why, as far as the story is concerned, the upcoming chess match between the American and Soviet Grandmasters may determine the fate of the world. For if the Soviet champion, Anatoly Sergievsky (Nicholas Christopher) doesn’t defeat the American champion, Freddie Trumper (Aaron Tveit), detente discussions between the two countries may fail. Anatoly and Freddie are just pawns in the larger metaphorical chess match going on between two global superpowers. Why a chess world championship would have any direct effect on the geopolitical world is absurd, but that is where much of the humor of the musical rests, and Danny Strong’s (Recount, “Empire”) rewrite of the script is laced with hilarious political satire while keeping the immediacy in the musical’s drama.

(Aaron Tveit (Freddie Trumper) CREDIT: Matthew Murphy, 2025)

            But all this is just the backdrop for the musical’s more character driven plot, focusing on a love triangle between Anatoly, Freddie, and Freddie’s second, Florence Vassy (Lea Michele). Florence has long been Freddie’s second and lover, but she and Anatoly have also had a one-night affair that hasn’t been forgotten. With Freddie already suffering from bipolar issues and severe paranoia stemming from the political tension going on, the potential addition of romantic drama would only exacerbate things.

            Most of what I’ve described is laid out in the first 30minutes of the 2-hour 45-minute musical and things only get more intense as Anatoly’s life is at risk if he loses, and in order to manipulate Anatoly’s and Freddie’s match, CIA operative Walter de Courcey (Sean Allan Krill) conspires with Anatoly’s second, Alexander Molokov (Bradley Dean) to have Anatoly win, including telling Florence that her Hungarian father is still alive, who she believes to have died during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The love triangle gets more complicated when Anatoly’s wife, Svetlana Sergievsky (Hannah Cruz) arrives in the second act. It’s a lot to keep track of, but Strong’s new book makes the story flow at a quick but comprehensive manner. It is still a little overloaded with quick plot points that either attempt to explain characters better that aren’t adequately addressed later, like Freddie’s mental health, or quickly thrown in for a better resolution like Florence’s story with her father.

            Musically, it mostly still has that classic ABBA sound that Benny and Bjӧrn are known for. It’s orchestrated for the Broadway stage with a 16-piece orchestra that is on stage, framing the action on an ascending set piece that wraps around the back of the stage. Newer songs, like Svetlana’s “He Is a Man, He Is a Child,” which was written for the 2002 Swedish version, have a more modern sound compared to the other songs. It’s a good song but feels a little out of place in musical tone compared to the rest of the show. There is also a lot of unnecessary chorus usage in the score, particularly during solo numbers like Freddie’s “Pity the Child” where I felt Freddie would have been better served without it.

(Nicholas Christopher (Anatoly Sergievksy) and the cast of CHESS. CREDIT: Matthew Murphy, 2025)

            The trio leading the show are all great. Lea Michele (Spring Awakening, Funny Girl) plays Florence a bit reserved in the first act, which I initially found detached, but as her character develops, her choices in the first act begin to make more sense. It’s a performance that is great but requires patience by the audience to appreciate the full texture of the character that is being painted by her, so by the time we get to her stellar performance of “Someone Else’s Story” everything falls into place. Aaron Tveit’s (Moulin Rouge!, Next to Normal) Freddie is toxic and spiteful, but sensitive enough that we can sympathize for him as a man who has been conditioned his whole life to be who he is.

            The standout performance, though — and one I think will be definitely remembered come awards season — is Nicholas Christopher’s (Hamilton, Little Shop of Horrors) heartbreaking performance as Anatoly. His “Anthem” had the audience in tears at the end of Act I. As stoic as Anatoly presents, Christopher layers it with an inner turmoil of love, whether it be for Florence, his country, or maybe most importantly, the game. He evocatively expresses the emotion of a man who has everyone telling him what is expected of him, yearning for freedom to choose his own destiny.

            As much as I enjoyed the performances and the new book and structure of this production of Chess the design left me wanting more. Though I don’t mind having an orchestra onstage, it does take up a lot of space, which could be used for more space for set pieces, instead of bench seating for the ensemble to sit on when they’re less involved in the story. I did like the chess pieces framing the stage with bombs intermixed with them, and Kevin Adams’ lighting of them does an excellent job of instilling tension. Peter Nigrini’s video design is visually impressive but is, at times, repetitive. Also, the musical is called Chess, and several chess matches are played. With a digital display, it could have been much easier for the audience to follow the action of the games played. Instead, we are given only the moves as verbally described by the competitors.

(Lea Michele (Florence Vassy) and the cast of CHESS. CREDIT: Matthew Murphy, 2025)

            This Chess isn’t perfect, but most of my issues surround the design, with some small details around Danny Strong’s otherwise excellent, revamped book. Strong has balanced the allegorical games of chess played throughout, imposing an historical reflection on one of the most intense points in our world’s history while also expressing the effect it has on a human level with the musical’s three primary characters, played by three exceptional actors.

CHESS

TICKETS: https://chessbroadway.com/

PRODUCTION: Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, Bjӧrn Ulvaeus; Based on an Idea by Tim Rice; New Book by Danny Strong; Directed by Michael Mayer; Choregraphed by Lorin Latarro; Music Supervision & Additional Arrangements by Brian Usifer; Scenic Design: David Rockwell; Costume Design: Tom Bruecker; Lighting Design: Kevin Adams; Sound Design: John Shivers; Video Design: Peter Nigrini; Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design: Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young Associates; Original Orchestrations: Anders Eljas; Orchestrations: Anders Ejlas & Brian Usifer; Music Director: Ian Weinberger; Music Coordinator: John Miller; Associate Director: Johanna McKeon; Associate Choreographer: Travis Waldschmidt; Dialect Coach: Kate Wilson; Production Manager: Juniper Street Productions; Casting: Jim Carnahan, CSA, Jason Thinger, CSA; Advertising: SPOTCO; Press Representative: Polk & Co.; Ticketing and Revenue Director: Ben Simpson, ATG Entertainment; Executive Producer: Susie Graves; Production Stage Manager; Lisa Iacicci; Company Manager: Michael Leibring; General Management: TT Partners

CAST (in order of appearance)

Bryce Pinkham as The Arbiter

Nicholas Christopher as Anatoly Sergievsky

Bradley Dean as Alexander Molokov

Aaron Tveit as Freddie Trumper

Lea Michele as Florence Vassy

Sean Allan Krill as Walter de Courcey

Hannah Cruz as Svetlana Sergievsky

Ensemble: Kyla Bartholomeusz, Daniel Beeman, Shavey Brown, Casey Garvin, Adam Halpin, Aliah James, Sydney Jones, Sean MacLaughlin, Sarah Meahl, Ramone Nelson, Michael Olaribigbe, Katerina Papacostas, Aleksandr Ivan Pevec, Samantha Pollino, Regine Sophia, Kate Webber