After a huge amount of speculation, a new production of Chess has been confirmed for Broadway, opening this autumn 2025.

The show will star Tony Award-winner Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) as Freddie Trumper, Emmy Award-nominee Lea Michele (Funny Girl) as Florence Vassey and Nicholas Christopher (Sweeney Todd) as Anatoly Sergievsky.

Chess will be directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Funny Girl) and feature a new book by Emmy Award-winner Danny Strong (Dopesick).

The show has music and lyrics by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winner Tim Rice (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar), based on an idea by Rice.

The wider creative team includes choreography by Lorin Latarro (Waitress), and music supervision by Brian Usifer.

Watch the new teaser trailer for CHESS

The new synopsis for Chess reads: CHESS is the iconic musical where power and passion collide, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s America versus Russia at the World Chess Championship, where the espionage and romance are as complicated and exhilarating as the game itself. For the two players and the woman torn between them, everything—personal, professional, and political—is at risk…and nobody’s rules are the same.

Hit songs from Chess include “I Know Him So Well”, “One Night in Bangkok” and, one of Tim Rice’s favourite songs, “Pity The Child”.

Further details about the production, including venue (Chess will play at a Shubert theatre), and wider cast and creatives, are to be announced.

CHESS The Musical - Broadway
The new logo for CHESS The Musical on Broadway

Chess will be produced on Broadway by Tom Hulce (Ain’t Too Proud, American Idiot, Spring Awakening), Robert Ahrens (Jean Smart in Call Me Izzy; Jonathan Groff in Just in Time) and The Shubert Organization, along with Creative Partners Productions (Jonathan Groff in Just in Time; George Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck; Audra McDonald in Gypsy; Imelda Staunton in Hello, Dolly!).

It is currently unclear whether the producers of Chess are also looking at London theatres for a possible West End run of the production.

Chess had its world premiere in London back in 1986, playing the Prince Edward Theatre starring Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg, and Murray Head.

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Main photo: Chess on Broadway. Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele & Nicholas Christopher. Photo by Richard Phibbs Square

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