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Lea Michele as Florence Vassy in \u201cChess\u201d<\/p>\n
Photo by Matthew Murphy <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If you think the game of chess is complicated, wait until you see the new Broadway<\/a> revival of \u201cChess<\/a>,\u201d which turns a Cold War musical into a Cold War migraine\u2014albeit one sung spectacularly.<\/p>\n For those unfamiliar with it, \u201cChess\u201d is one of musical theater\u2019s great paradoxes: a phenomenal pop-opera score attached to a famously unwieldy book about a Cold War\u2013era chess showdown between two world champions\u2014hot-headed American prodigy Freddie Trumper (Aaron Tveit) and dignified Soviet grandmaster Anatoly Sergievsky (Nicholas Christopher)\u2014and Florence Vassy (Lea Michele), Freddie\u2019s brilliant and long-suffering second who becomes personally drawn to Anatoly.<\/p>\n The show attempts to fuse a love triangle with East\u2013West propaganda, surveillance, and psychological maneuvering, but these elements have never fully cohered.<\/p>\n Conceived in the early 1980s by Benny Andersson and Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus of ABBA with lyrics by Tim Rice, \u201cChess\u201d began as a hit concept album, spawned international singles, opened in London in 1986, and flopped on Broadway in 1988 after extensive rewriting. Ever since, fans have clung to the score, while directors have tried\u2014and consistently failed\u2014to fix the show\u2019s storytelling.<\/p>\n The new Broadway revival once again attempts the impossible, under the direction of Michael Mayer and book writer Danny Strong. On paper, their involvement suggested a clear-eyed rethink: Mayer excels with emotional pop-rock material (\u201cSpring Awakening,\u201d \u201cAmerican Idiot\u201d), while Strong has a reputation for structuring complex political narratives (\u201cDopesick,\u201d \u201cEmpire\u201d). In reality, the production feels caught between apologizing for the musical and re-enacting it\u2014all while relying on its three stars to deliver the songs that keep the evening afloat.<\/p>\n The most obvious sign that this isn\u2019t a traditional \u201cChess\u201d is the expanded Arbiter, now functioning as a full-blown emcee. Bryce Pinkham (\u201cA Gentleman\u2019s Guide to Love and Murder\u201d) plays him with manic sharpness, narrating, joking, editorializing, and constantly reminding the audience that this is a Cold War musical with a chaotic past. The sheer volume of commentary leaves little space for the characters themselves. Moments that should build tension instead stop cold so the Arbiter can explain (or mock) what we\u2019re watching.<\/p>\n Mayer\u2019s staging reinforces the quasi-concert vibe. The ensemble sits on benches along the sides, observing like backup singers. Chess matches aren\u2019t dramatized; they\u2019re announced into microphones, as if we\u2019ve wandered into a radio broadcast. A neon square descends, projections flicker, the stage remains spare except for a few platforms, and the overall effect is that of a high-budget concert staging that never pretends otherwise.<\/p>\n But if \u201cChess\u201d is going to function as a concert, it at least has the performers to deliver one. Christopher, who stood by for Sweeney Todd in the 2023 revival, brings a resonant voice and a steady, thoughtful presence to Anatoly, even though the character remains drawn in extremely broad strokes. Aaron Tveit, who also played Sweeney Todd in the same production, unleashes a soaring \u201cPity the Child\u201d as Freddie. His performance isn\u2019t deeply acted, but the power ballad lands with force.<\/p>\n Michele, launched by \u201cSpring Awakening,\u201d elevated to pop-theater phenomenon through \u201cGlee,\u201d and credited with saving the recent \u201cFunny Girl,\u201d supplies star power and crystal-clear vocals. \u201cNobody\u2019s Side,\u201d \u201cHeaven Help My Heart,\u201d and her duet with Hannah Cruz on \u201cI Know Him So Well\u201d land not because Florence is richly rendered, but because Michele sings them with authority and focus.<\/p>\n After the revelatory 2023 revival of \u201cMerrily We Roll Along,\u201d which finally clarified another difficult 80s musical, there was hope that \u201cChess\u201d might enjoy a similar breakthrough. This isn\u2019t that breakthrough. But when the commentary dies down and the music takes over, the show soars, proving again why people keep trying to resurrect it.<\/p>\n As drama, \u201cChess\u201d remains a puzzle. As a concert, though, it can be thrilling\u2014and in this production, that\u2019s what ultimately wins.\n<\/p>\n![\"Nicholas](\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2_CHESS_BROADWAY_S_0108_PJZEDIT_v002A.jpg?quality=51&w=1200\" "\\"Review")
![\"Bryce](\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4_CHESS_BROADWAY_S_0252_PJZEDIT_v002A.jpg?quality=51&w=1200\" "\\"Review")