Check out what is being said about the Broadway revival of the musical by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice.
The New York Times: “Parts of the show are absolutely thrilling and parts are flat at best, aggressively dumb at worst. At least Mayer’s production, starring Nicholas Christopher, Lea Michele and Aaron Tveit, is not a bland bore. Thinking back to Michele’s big, then bigger, then biggest ‘Nobody’s Side’ or Christopher’s red-hot, neck-vein-bursting ‘Anthem,’ I can feel the needle move toward the positive side of the dial.”
Time Out: “Those who have seen the chameleonic Christopher in recent past roles, such as Pirelli in Sweeney Todd or Jelly Roll Morton in Jelly’s Last Jam, know that he has a voice of seemingly limitless range and acting chops to match. He proves those gifts anew as Anatoly, whom he imbues with compelling intensity and interiority; his Act I finale, “Anthem,” is particularly powerful, even though in 40 years Tim Rice still hasn’t gotten around to fixing what may well be the worst line he has ever written.”
amNY: “As drama, “Chess” remains a puzzle. As a concert, though, it can be thrilling—and in this production, that’s what ultimately wins.”
1minutecritic.com: “Many theatergoers will be flocking to see Tveit and Michele in Chess. And while the King and Queen of this game may get the most attention, to win, every move counts.”
New York Stage Review: “The show looks sensational: Lighting designer Kevin Adams washes the stage in American blue and Russian red, to eye-popping painterly effect (hang it in the MoMA!). The 16-member ensemble—equal to the number of pieces each chess player gets—moves with striking precision thanks to choreographer Lorin Latarro, whose ingenious dancers-as-a-moving-car bit in 2024’s The Heart of Rock and Roll is not discussed enough. The Act 2 curtain-raiser, “One Night in Bangkok,” is a buzzy delight, a twisty R-rated neon-drenched acro-ballet. (Is it my imagination, or are the women showing more skin than the men?) Then there’s Tveit in the middle of everything, Risky Business–style in his skivvies and shades, snorting coke off a woman’s raised calf.”
The Wrap: “Michael Mayer directs “Chess” as a concert performance, with the orchestra placed in view on the sleek set designed by David Rockwell. There is some dancing, choreography by Lorin Latarro. Act two opens with the number “One Night in Bangkok” in which the dancers throw off their business suits and strip down to their undies. It’s great, tacky fun — right up there with the Times Square dancing Muppets from this year’s worst Broadway musical, “Boop.””
Variety: “Despite this revival of “Chess” making some wrong moves, it always remembers that the queen is the most powerful piece, wisely letting Michele shine like the star she is. Unlike in “Funny Girl,” in which she was perpetually the center of attention, here she has to share the stage more, and does so with humility and aplomb. Never overpowering or scene stealing, Michele has a commanding presence, and finds the depths of pain, longing, and conflict in her character.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “There’s a strange, undermining, conflicted nature to Mayer’s project, a push and pull between eras and customs. Perhaps that is actually the great insight of this Chess. Not about the Able Archer 83 incident that almost ended the world, nor about the whirring mechanics of mind and heart that govern chess phenoms. (Truly, the actual game barely factors in here, save for two inventively staged sequences that imagine the interior monologues of players during a match.) Rather, this Chess teaches us a history lesson about the world pre-meta-irony and the one post-, in which we find ourselves mired at the moment.”
USA Today: “As directed by Michael Mayer (“Spring Awakening”), this too often feels like a “Chess” revival that is embarrassed by its own existence. Rather than earnestly leaning into the melodrama, the show constantly undercuts its emotional moments with a punchline, which quickly becomes more exhausting than charming. Kevin Adams’ stark lighting creates some splendid pictures, although Tom Broecker’s sleek costumes and David Rockwell’s minimal sets are better suited for a concert staging than a Broadway production commanding top dollar.”
Vulture: “Chess is not a serious musical. Fine. Good, even! When the show is at its best, it hits levels of unironic ludicrousness that are more fun than most things on Broadway. Back in 1988 Frank Rich ripped Chess’s American premiere a new one: ‘The characters,’ he wrote in the Times, ‘yell at one another to rock music.’ Yes, they absolutely do. And I had a great time.”
Entertainment Weekly: “The script has been reworked and the characters retooled, only for Chess to end up back where it started: impeccable music, a flat story and a baffling execution. But the eternal contradiction of Chess is that while its flaws are many, it’s still a delight to witness. Like those that came before, this lively production is bursting with talent both on and offstage.”
New York Theatre Guide: “Chess might not be for everyone: Diehard fans may bemoan the modern updates, while newcomers may get lost in the 2-hour-and-40-minute back-and-forth of plot that covers, essentially, two chess matches. But for those who go to Broadway musicals hoping to hear actors perform songs so powerfully you get goosebumps, you’ll find that three times over.”
To find out more about the production visit: https://chessbroadway.com/