{"id":2384069,"date":"2026-04-22T10:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2384069"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:15:13","slug":"nicholas-christopher-the-unexpected-star-of-a-hit-broadway-revival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/nicholas-christopher-the-unexpected-star-of-a-hit-broadway-revival\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicholas Christopher, the unexpected star of a hit Broadway revival"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A new Broadway star emerges each season, and this year the spotlight has alighted on Nicholas Christopher, who has been dazzling audiences and insiders alike as part of the awe-inspiring triumvirate powering the thrilling new revival of the musical \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christopher plays Anatoly Sergievsky, the Soviet chess master embroiled in a Cold War battle against Freddie Trumper, the reigning American champion played by Aaron Tveit. There\u2019s more on the line than bragging rights. Looming over the competition is the threat of nuclear annihilation that a calculating KGB agent warns his American counterpart is a very real danger if this contest doesn\u2019t go off as planned. <\/p>\n

The stakes are further raised by a love triangle involving Florence Vassy, the brilliant chess strategist played by Lea Michele. She\u2019s not only coaching the mentally ill Freddie but she\u2019s also his romantic partner. Worn out by his intense mood swings and erratic behavior, she\u2019s particularly susceptible to the sexy stoicism of his Soviet rival.<\/p>\n

The electricity at the Imperial Theatre is as supercharged as it was at the August Wilson Theatre when Michele<\/a> took over the role of Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of \u201cFunny Girl.\u201d Audiences sense that something electric is happening, but it\u2019s not just Michele who\u2019s setting off sparks.<\/p>\n

This tour de force operates on a three-way circuit, with Christopher matching the current (and then some) of his better-known co-stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cChess,\u201d based on an idea by Tim Rice, was part of the 1980s British invasion of Broadway musicals. But unlike the megahits \u201cCats\u201d and \u201cPhantom of the Opera,\u201d \u201cChess\u201d was checkmated shortly after it arrived in New York in a swell of London fanfare. <\/p>\n

The show is best known for its score by Benny Andersson and Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus, the male half of the group ABBA, and Rice, the EGOT winner who wrote the lyrics for \u201cJesus Christ Superstar\u201d <\/a>and has had a hand in some of the biggest musical blockbusters of the last half-century. When \u201cChess\u201d had its Broadway premiere in 1988, critics had issues with Trevor Nunn\u2019s staging, which had been retooled from the West End. But the musical\u2019s tangled narrative web has been a stickier challenge. <\/p>\n

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<\/picture>\n
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Nicholas Christopher (as Anatoly Sergievksy) and the cast of \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

This first Broadway revival, directed by Michael Mayer, includes a new book by Danny Strong. The plot still cries out for a flow chart, but the powerhouse fusion of Michele, Tveit and Christopher, overcoming all obstacles, has made this production one of the seismic events of the Broadway season.<\/p>\n

Michele may be the draw and Tveit, a musical theater actor\u2019s musical theater actor, may be leaving audiences in a state of euphoria at the end of \u201cOne Night in Bangkok,\u201d the show\u2019s kinetic synth-pop Billboard hit. But it\u2019s Christopher who brings the house down at the end of the first act, delivering a version of \u201cAnthem\u201d that will reverberate inside the Imperial for as long as that stately Broadway house stands.<\/p>\n

After a Sunday matinee last month, Christopher and I had dinner a few blocks away at a bistro his wife, dancer Jennifer Locke, recommended. It seemed unfair to subject Christopher to an interview after his Olympian performance, which was even more impressive on second viewing. But like a world-class athlete accustomed to extreme rigor, he seemed unfazed by the expenditure of energy. Refueling on steak frites and a margarita, he spoke with the same focused intensity he brings to the stage. <\/p>\n

Christopher, who was born in Bermuda and grew up in Boston, studied at the Boston Conservatory and Juilliard. His singing was so thunderously impressive in \u201cChess\u201d that I wondered if he had ever considered opera instead of musical theater. The question seemed to take him by surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic has always been part of my life, but what\u2019s funny to me is that my brother is the singer,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s the voice \u2014 Jonathan \u2018The Voice\u2019 Christopher! He actually studied vocal performance in college and got his master\u2019s in it as well. Anytime I have any questions about the voice, I\u2019ll go to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christopher and his brother were both in the 2023 Broadway revival of \u201cSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,\u201d starring Josh Groban. Jonathan, who was making his Broadway debut, was the bird seller and part of the musical ensemble. Christopher played Pirelli, the con-man barber with the fake Italian accent, and it was the first time that I can recall wishing that this flamboyant villain had a bigger part. <\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the first time that Christopher had caught my attention. He was in the 2021 touring production of \u201cHamilton\u201d<\/a> that reopened the Hollywood Pantages during that summer when theaters were tentatively reemerging from the pandemic. Playing Aaron Burr, he delivered a version of \u201cThe Room Where It Happened\u201d so rousing that it brought back in concentrated form all the musical theater joy that had been missing during the COVID closures. <\/p>\n

Overnight success in the theater takes years, and Christopher has been racking up credits since he was 20, when still a student at Juilliard, he left school to go on tour with \u201cIn the Heights.\u201d In Puerto Rico, he got to share the stage with the show\u2019s co-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose musicals have played a pivotal role in Christopher\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife, who\u2019s a fantastic dancer, was in \u2018In the Heights\u2019 on Broadway,\u201d he said. \u201cWe met when I was on the tour, and then she ignored me for eight years. Then we did the \u2018Hamilton\u2019 tour together. That\u2019s actually what brought us together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Lea <\/picture>\n
\n

Lea Michele (as Florence Vassy) and Nicholas Christopher (as Anatoly Sergievksy) star in \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Juilliard offered Christopher the option of returning, but he already had his next gig lined up when the \u201cIn the Heights\u201d tour ended. His rise has been steady, but the actor\u2019s life is an uncertain one. <\/p>\n

\u201cI spent two years of COVID trying to figure out something I could do,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t do anything else. I don\u2019t have any skills other than observation, mimicry and maybe a dose of childhood trauma that I can squeeze out a tear. My mother will hate me for saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n

His talent has been the worst-kept secret on Broadway. In his review of the 2024 Encores! revival of \u201cJelly\u2019s Last Jam,\u201d the New York Times\u2019 Jesse Green wrote, \u201cChristopher is stunning as [Jelly Roll] Morton, with the huge, rich voice and expressive density we usually associate with female divas. He has the acting bandwidth to keep both the immediate moment and the larger situation of the character in play, never flagging in an exhaustingly emotional role.\u201d<\/p>\n

But applause and clippings don\u2019t pay the rent. Lean times aren\u2019t new to him. \u201cWe grew up with not a lot of means,\u201d he said, recalling his mother\u2019s magical ability \u201cto whip up a whole meal with just canned tuna or cheese sandwiches.\u201d <\/p>\n

He credits seeing both his parents chase their dreams with giving him and his two siblings the confidence to chase theirs. \u201cI want that for my girls,\u201d he said. \u201cI make sure they know that daddy\u2019s following his dreams and because of that we\u2019re able to provide for you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Yes, he admits, it\u2019s been a hustle. His wife was pregnant when they put their belongings in storage and moved to New York for \u201cSweeney Todd.\u201d \u201cBut it was the end of COVID and we didn\u2019t have any money saved,\u201d he said. \u201dA friend had an apartment in their brownstone that we could use, which was very kind, but it was no place for a pregnant wife and a little girl. It took us a long time to be able to find our footing.\u201d <\/p>\n

During the run of \u201cSweeney Todd,\u201d Christopher, who was also a standby for Groban, had opportunities to play the title role. \u201cThe first time I went on as Sweeney, I had three hours\u2019 notice,\u201d he said. \u201cThankfully, I had been observing and watching everything. But I was reading the script off-stage and then someone would push me onstage and say, \u2018I\u2019ll meet you stage left, wing one.\u2019 Somehow I was able to get through the show. It was intense, but Sweeney is kind of frantic anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Tveit, who won a Tony for his lead performance in \u201cMoulin Rouge! The Musical,\u201d took over the role of Sweeney for a period, Christopher got the chance to work with his future \u201cChess\u201d co-star. Was it hard to get a taste of Sweeney and then return to the role of Pirelli? <\/p>\n

\u201cI love playing different characters,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat actor doesn\u2019t love doing that? But it was such a gift to be able to play this comic relief with Pirelli and then get to play Sweeney, one of the best-written characters in history. I like the versatility of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Groban had nothing but praise for Christopher when reached by email: \u201cI became really good friends with Nicholas pretty much right away. We shared the same weird humor and love of the work and I knew I had my show friend and a pal for life. Watching his work ethic, and his versatility night after night was always a beautiful thing. Transitioning from a role like Pirelli to going on as Sweeney, it\u2019s super human. He\u2019s worked really hard, consistently stepping up as a performer, husband and father and he deserves every bit of this moment he\u2019s having. Couldn\u2019t be prouder or happier for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

For all his musical ability, Christopher loves the alchemy of transforming into a character. When he was a kid, he wanted to be Indiana Jones. \u201cDoing theater was a way for me to use my imagination and act,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was always my first love. And I loved doing impressions as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

His Russian accent in \u201cChess\u201d is so convincing that he\u2019s had theatergoers come up to him after the show and launch into Russian as though he were a native speaker. Before being cast in the musical, he said that he knew little about the game of chess, the Soviet Union or even the musical itself. He was familiar with \u201cAnthem\u201d from musical theater class and \u201cSomeone Else\u2019s Story\u201d from a voice recital his sister did. But he had no idea these songs were part of the same show. <\/p>\n

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\"Nicholas <\/picture>\n
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Nicholas Christopher and the cast of \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m biracial and growing up in Boston, I\u2019m just Black,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless it was \u2018Ragtime\u2019 or \u2018Once on This Island,\u201d there are roles that I knew I was just never going to get. I\u2019m never going to be able to play a Russian chess master, so I\u2019m not going to pay attention to that right now. I knew I wanted to play as many different characters as possible, but I was also aware of the limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n

He never, for example, expected to be cast in \u201cLittle Shop of Horrors,\u201d unless it was as the plant, he joked. But he was thrilled to play Seymour in the off-Broadway revival directed by Mayer. Jonathan Groff was the original star of a production that had many top-tier talents stepping in at different phrases of the production\u2019s elaborate run. But Christopher clearly left a lasting impression on his director. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo have someone like Michael Mayer say, \u2018Come play this Russian chess master,\u2019 because there\u2019s something in me that he believed in, that is so cool,\u201d he said, still marveling at his good fortune. <\/p>\n

To prepare for playing Anatoly, he immersed himself in all things Russian. \u201cI met this club owner back in the day when I was doing \u2018Hamilton\u2019 and so I had his phone number,\u201d he recalled. \u201cAnd I was like, let me just see if he\u2019s Russian. It turned out he came over from the Soviet Union when he was like 12 years old. So then it was just off the races, and I started hanging out with him. He brought me to his family dinners on Sunday, and it just opened this whole world up to me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Christopher\u2019s Russian bearing is so convincing that I didn\u2019t immediately put together that this was the same actor who played Aaron Burr at the Hollywood Pantages and Pirelli opposite Groban on Broadway. He credits Richard Feldman, one of his teachers at Juilliard, with challenging him at just the right time. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe really changed my life, not by trying to change me but by asking if the story I seemed to be telling was the story I wanted to tell,\u201d he said. \u201cIt allowed me to dig deeper and gave me permission to call myself an actor when I thought I was just wearing somebody else\u2019s clothes and saying somebody else\u2019s words.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if there are roles he\u2019s dreaming of doing, Christopher flirts for a moment with Hamlet before opting for something from Tennessee Williams. \u201cJust because of the language,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a beautiful play called \u2018Orpheus Descending\u2019 that I\u2019m really passionate about.\u201d <\/p>\n

Reading a script, he acknowledged, is a labor-intensive endeavor for him. \u201cI\u2019m dyslexic and didn\u2019t find out till I was 20 years old,\u201d he said. \u201cSo reading a script is a long, long, long process for me. And I think that\u2019s maybe my superpower, because it\u2019s not just words on a page. I have to really understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That deep comprehension comes across in \u201cChess.\u201d There\u2019s not a line or a silence of Anatoly\u2019s that doesn\u2019t feel fully inhabited. The virtuosity of Christopher\u2019s singing is matched by the lived-in authenticity of his dramatic performance. <\/p>\n

The chemistry of the ensemble, the great strength of Mayer\u2019s revival, beautifully balances blazing showmanship with character-rich detail. Christopher said that he and his fellow leads bonded during the process of working on the script once the production was given the green light. <\/p>\n

\u201cAaron\u2019s kinder than he is talented, which is crazy,\u201d Christopher said. \u201cAnd Lea has been this source of such great friendship. She has this beautiful generosity of spirit. And anytime I have any questions or I\u2019m feeling overwhelmed by my face on this side of a building, which is hard to look at, she\u2019s there to give me some great advice. Or just tell me that everything is going to be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than OK, actually. Christopher finally has the showcase he deserves, and the vibrancy and vigor of his talent has Broadway justifiably agog. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new Broadway star emerges each season, and this year the spotlight has alighted on Nicholas Christopher, who has been dazzling audiences and insiders alike as part of the awe-inspiring triumvirate powering the thrilling new revival of the musical \u201cChess.\u201d Christopher plays Anatoly Sergievsky, the Soviet chess master embroiled in a Cold War battle against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2384070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2384069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Nicholas-Christopher-the-unexpected-star-of-a-hit-Broadway-revival.com2Fcf2F292F6b153ad94e29bd209d189803.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2384069"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2384071,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384069\/revisions\/2384071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2384070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2384069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2384069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2384069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}