Chess is currently back on the boards, as it readies to open its first ever Broadway revival, led by a trio of young stars: Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Nicholas Christopher. It is also playing at the Imperial Theatre, the same theatre where the show first ran in 1988. But how did a show about a board game, which only had 68 performances on Broadway, become a cult classic?
Chess tells the story of American and Russian chess champions playing a match against each other—and competing for the same woman—at the height of the Cold War.
Chess began as a concept album released in 1984, after writer Tim Rice had mulled over the idea of a musical about the Cuban Missile Crisis for nearly a decade with his frequent collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber, never quite beginning the project. In the early 1980s, he approached Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who had been itching to find creative projects outside of their hit pop music group ABBA. Recalled Andersson when Rice brought him the idea for Chess, "That must be one of the most impossible things to do, write a musical about chess. So we said, 'Yeah, let's do that!'"
The Chess concept album dominated the charts worldwide, reaching number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and earned global critical acclaim. Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson's duet "I Know Him So Well" even ranked number one on the U.K.'s singles charts for a month, and "One Night in Bangkok" was an international hit.
The album's popularity seemed to promise a successful theatrical adaption, but the original West End production opened in 1986 to mixed reviews. Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg, and Murray Head, who all performed on the concept album, brought their roles to life onstage as part of the original London cast, with Siobhán McCarthy taking Barbara Dickson's place. Prolific director Michael Bennett was originally signed on to helm, but pulled out due to his declining health, and Cats director Trevor Nunn took over. The stage show's book expanded the original plot explored in the concept album, with the runtime peaking at three hours and 15 minutes long. London critics were admittedly dazzled by the score and scenic vision for the show, but nearly all expressed the book as being problematic to what would otherwise be a creative revelation.
The Broadway production—which starred David Carroll, Judy Kuhn, Philip Casnoff, and Marcia Mitzman—opened to an even more negative critical reception, with reviewers nevertheless praising the score and the individual performances. Closing after just 17 previews and 68 performances, it seemed Chess' chance for success had passed.
But it was not yet game over for the show.
Through the concept album and later cast recordings from various stage productions, Chess found a devoted audience in the years since its premiere. Additional attempts to rework the material were carried out in 1990, 1992, 2002, 2008, 2010, and 2012. Plus, there were several tours and West End revivals. Notably, a 2008 London concert staging featuring Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, and Kerry Ellis was recorded and released both as an album and a concert film.
This 2025 revival of Chess uses a new book from screenwriter Danny Strong, of Hunger Games, Mockingjay fame. It first debut in 2018, in a production at the Kennedy Center, which starred Raúl Esparza, Karen Olivo, Ramin Karimloo, and Ruthie Ann. It was directed by Michael Mayer (who is also directing the 2025 revival). Wrote Rice after a 2022 Chess benefit concert: "The work refuses to go away and after hundreds of productions great and small around the globe (including many in the United States) since it first appeared on record in 1984, maybe the time is right for a return to Broadway."
READ: Danny Strong Has Spent a Decade Rewriting the Book for Chess.
Below, look back on the original Broadway production of Chess.
Plus, show off your love for Broadway by purchasing Playbill stickers. We have a wide range of stickers from various shows past and present, including some for popular revivals such as Chess! You can even get a pack of every show currently running on Broadway! Buy 10 or more single stickers and get two free stickers! Visit PlaybillStore.com.
Company of Chess
Company of Chess
David Carroll and Judy Kuhn in Chess
Philip Casnoff in Chess
Judy Kuhn and David Carroll in Chess
Neal Ben-Ari and Judy Kuhn in Chess
David Carroll in Chess
Company of Chess
Judy Kuhn and Philip Casnoff in Chess
Judy Kuhn in Chess
Philip Casnoff, Judy Kuhn, and David Carroll in Chess
Judy Kuhn and Marcia Mitzman in Chess
Harry Goz and Dennis Parlato in Chess
Philip Casnoff and David Carroll in Chess
Harry Goz, David Carroll, and Marcia Mitzman in Chess
Eric Johnson, Judy Kuhn, David Carroll, and Richard Muenz in Chess
Judy Kuhn and Harry Goz in Chess
