November 16 was opening night for the first-ever Broadway revival of Chess at the Imperial Theatre, and the stars were out to support. Red carpet walkers included Chess original Broadway cast member Judy Kuhn, along with such notables as Sarah Hyland, Sadie Dickerson, Nile Rodgers, Edie Falco, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Stephen Schwartz, Debra Messing, Tony Shalhoub, Jim Dale, Peppermint, Milo Manheim, Sara Bareilles, Ana Navarro, and lots more.

Go inside the starry evening in the gallery below.

close gallery

0 of

Photos: Chess Opening Night on Broadway

Next Slide  

You may also like

• 
  Photos: Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company
• 
  Photos: Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
• 
  Photos: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in Hamnet Film

The extended run is currently set to continue through May 3, 2026. See what critics had to say about the new production, directed by Michael Mayer, here.

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

The company also includes 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 Score 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 new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong (Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2), and a creative team featuring director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and choreographer Lorin Latarro (Waitress). Brian Usifer serves as music supervisor.

The creative team also includes scenic designer David Rockwell, costume designer Tom Broecker, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer John Shivers, video designer Peter Nigrini, associate director Johanna McKeon, and associate choreographer Travis Waldschmidt.

Based on an idea by Rice (and originally featuring a book by Richard Nelson), 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.

READ: Danny Strong Has Spent a Decade Rewriting the Book for Chess. Now It's Finally Coming to Broadway

The musical began as a concept album released in 1984, after 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 Andersson and Ulvaeus, who had been itching to find creative projects outside of their hit pop music group ABBA. The 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.

WATCH: Learn About Chess' Complicated Journey Back to Broadway in New Streaming Documentary

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. Bennett's vision initially was to create a "multimedia" experience for audiences, with the theatre filled to the brim with television monitors, and the stage transformed into a tilted chess floor. 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 subsequent 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 via the concept album and later cast recordings from various stage productions, Chess found a devoted audience in the years since its premiere. In addition to several tours and West End revivals, 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.

Chess is being produced by Tom Hulce, Robert Ahrens, and The Shubert Organization, along with Creative Partners Productions. The production is being presented by arrangement with Three Knights and Robert Fox Ltd.

Visit ChessBroadway.com.

close gallery

0 of

Photos: Chess on Broadway

Next Slide  

You may also like

• 
  Photos: Guys and Dolls at Shakespeare Theatre Company
• 
  Photos: Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
• 
  Photos: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in Hamnet Film