Upcoming Chess dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
No more Chess at the Imperial
June 21, 2026, was closing night for the Chess revival at the Imperial Theatre. By then it had given 34 previews and 241 regular performances (a second tracker says 240). Previews had started October 15, 2025, and opening night was November 16. Producers announced the early exit in late May. Until then the run was on sale through September 13, and the singer JoJo Levesque was due to replace Lea Michele as Florence on June 23. Those plans were dropped. Nothing new has been announced for New York as of October 2026, so any listings on this page would belong to regional or overseas companies.
How the concert staging played from each level
The Imperial, a Shubert house opened in 1923, holds 1,457 across two levels and housed Les Misérables for 13 years, 1990 to 2003. Michael Mayer's revival treated it almost like a concert hall: the orchestra played on stage, David Rockwell's scenery was minimal, and Peter Nigrini's video and Kevin Adams's lighting did most of the scene-setting.
- Center mezzanine: the most complete picture, because a design built from light and projection reads best from above and straight on.
- Center orchestra: right for anyone whose priority was the voices and a close look at the three leads.
- Far sides: the weakest option for a show whose scenery was mostly projected.
Apply the same logic to any future concert-style staging: go up and central for the design, go close and central for the voices.
Grandmasters, defection and a love triangle
Chess unfolds during the Cold War around a world championship match. The cocky American Freddie Trumper plays the Soviet champion Anatoly Sergievsky. Florence Vassy, Freddie's second (his assistant and strategist at the match), falls for Anatoly, who defects to the West. A second championship brings politics, spies and Anatoly's wife, Svetlana, back into the picture.
Audiences return for the music. ABBA's two songwriters, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, composed it; Tim Rice and Ulvaeus wrote the words. Three numbers escaped the theater entirely. One Night in Bangkok climbed as high as third place on the American Billboard Hot 100; I Know Him So Well held the top of the British chart for a month; Anthem turned into the ballad most people associate with the score.
The revival's company and its notices
For this version, Danny Strong supplied a fresh book, expanding the two women's roles and weaving in more Cold War history. The three leads were Aaron Tveit (Freddie), Lea Michele (Florence) and Nicholas Christopher (Anatoly). Around them: Hannah Cruz (Svetlana), Bradley Dean (Molokov), Sean Allan Krill (Walter) and Bryce Pinkham (the Arbiter). Choreography was by Lorin Latarro.
Critics split. The leads' singing and the score drew praise, and the story still struck most reviewers as uneven. Tony voters in 2026 nominated Christopher, Cruz and Pinkham, plus Adams for lighting and Brian Usifer for orchestrations; the production was left out of the Best Revival race and went home empty-handed. A cast album came out on April 10, 2026. Performances lasted roughly 2 hours 40 minutes, intermission included.
Hit album, London success, 1988 Broadway failure
Chess started life as a 1984 double concept album meant to fund a stage version. The West End premiere, directed by Trevor Nunn, opened May 14, 1986, at London's Prince Edward Theatre, and that production ran almost three years, until April 1989.
New York went badly. A heavily rewritten version opened on Broadway on April 28, 1988, and lasted only until June 25: 17 previews, 68 performances. Since then the show has been reshaped repeatedly in concerts and regional productions, each attempt aimed at a book critics have long considered its weak spot.
Odds of another Chess
History favors a return. The score keeps Chess in circulation through concerts, regional theaters and international productions, decade after decade. As of October 2026, though, neither a Broadway comeback nor a tour of the 2025 version has been announced, so the April 2026 recording is the surest way to hear this production. For what is running now, see Broadway, Musicals and Les Misérables.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Chess revival close?
Its last show was June 21, 2026. Before the early closing notice, it was selling seats into mid-September.
What songs from Chess became hits?
Three crossed over: One Night in Bangkok became a top-three American single, I Know Him So Well led the British chart for four weeks, and Anthem is the ballad most fans know.
Which seats were best for the Chess revival?
The center mezzanine showed the projection-heavy design most completely, while the center orchestra put you nearest the singers.
Who played Florence in the Chess revival?
Lea Michele. JoJo Levesque was lined up to succeed her on June 23, 2026, but the run ended two days earlier.
Did the Chess revival win any Tony Awards?
No. It received several 2026 nominations, including for Nicholas Christopher, Hannah Cruz and Bryce Pinkham, but no wins.