Broadway's Chess Revival Fails to Make the Right Moves
A new Broadway revival of the musical Chess has opened at New York's Imperial Theatre, but this latest production proves a messy and uneven affair. Despite a score packed with catchy numbers from the legendary Abba songwriting duo and lyricist Tim Rice, the 2025 staging fails to deliver a compelling narrative, ultimately wasting its musical potential.
A Troubled History and a New Book
The musical Chess has a complex history. It originated in the 1980s as a concept album by Tim Rice and Abba members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The story centres on a fictional cold war chess championship, pitting an American grandmaster against a Soviet one. While it produced hit singles like One Night in Bangkok and had a successful three-year run in London's West End, its 1988 Broadway debut was a quick failure.
This new production, aiming to refresh the material for modern audiences, features a new book by Danny Strong. However, the updated script is a key weakness. It attempts to frame the cold war tensions as a direct allegory for today's political climate, but the effort feels forced. References to contemporary American political figures come across as shoehorned rather than insightful, failing to give the classic story new relevance.
A Strong Cast Undermined by Weak Material
The central love triangle involves the brash American champion Freddie Trumper, played by Aaron Tveit, his Hungarian-born second and lover Florence Vassy, portrayed by Lea Michele, and the reserved Soviet challenger Anatoly Sergievsky, acted by Nicholas Christopher. While all three performers handle the demanding pop-operetta score with skill, their dramatic scenes lack chemistry. They often appear stiff, like "dynamically posed dolls" between the big musical numbers.
Michele, in particular, is given little to work with as her character's toughness turns to woodenness. The late introduction of Anatoly's wife, Svetlana, played by Hannah Cruz, also feels underdeveloped and adds little to the plot.
One Standout Performance and Spectacular Staging
The production's clear standout is Bryce Pinkham as the Arbiter. As the narrator who frequently breaks the fourth wall, Pinkham injects energy and charisma, selling his material with impressive verve even when the script's zingers fall flat. His performance is so engaging that it inadvertently overshadows the central trio.
Visually, the show is a feast. The orchestra is positioned on a bridge on stage, and the use of screens, neon lights, and glowing frames is effective. The second act opens with a spectacular rendition of One Night in Bangkok by Aaron Tveit, featuring an army of dexterous dancers. Yet, this number highlights a core problem: it feels disconnected from the main narrative, a fantastic pop song in search of a cohesive show.
In the end, this revival of Chess does little to argue for the musical's enduring dramatic power. It remains a curious novelty, propped up by the undeniable catchiness of songs like I Know Him So Well and Anthem. For audiences, it's an album with great songs still waiting for a truly successful stage show to do them justice.
