“Chess” came back to the Imperial Theatre on Broadway in New York City last year with a star-studded cast, including Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicolas Christopher. The musical is nominated for five Tony awards. The cast is what originally led me to want to see the show.
I first saw Lea Michele in “Funny Girl” and she truly is an absolutely amazing singer. Although many people aren’t fans of her, I love “Glee” so I was excited to see her on stage. Tveit was sensational in “Moulin Rouge” when I saw him in it and I’d never seen a show with Nicolas Christopher in it so I was anticipating seeing him. Many people had amazing things to say about the cast, and they were all on point.
I saw Chess over February break. Before going to see the show I searched Tiktok to find more information about the plot. Each Tiktok I watched had no clue as to what the show was truly about, but everyone raved about it. I went to the show with my mom and she was unaware of the plot as well. She had heard the song “One Night in Bangkok” from the soundtrack but never knew it was from the musical.
Therefore going into the show I was unsure of what to expect. The show, set during the Cold War, follows two chess champions, Freddie (Tveit) from the US and Anatoly (Christopher) from the Soviet Union. Florence (Michele) is Freddie’s manager in Act One, but she ends up falling in love with Anatoly.
At intermission my mom and I spoke about how we understood the plot and its connection to history. So going into the show you definitely need to have an understanding of the Cold War and the tensions between the US and USSR at the time. Although the musical follows the events of the chess game between the two players, it is actually a metaphor for the Cold War as a whole.
The show was heartbreaking, funny, and creative. The dancing by the ensemble was incredible through the entire performance. The score isn’t very catchy but it fits the show perfectly. I was amazed by the singing, but I don’t typically listen to the soundtrack in the car.
I think that Nicolas Christopher is very deserving of his Tony nomination and I predict he will win. Again the cast is really what made the show so incredible, after being a flop in the 80’s. A supporting role that I surprisingly liked very much was the Narrator. He added humor into the show and included current events that helped the audience relate to what was happening in the show.
I would highly recommend seeing Chess while it remains on Broadway. If you enjoy American history it is a must see. I would brush up on the Cold War when you go so that you can understand the meaning of the show. This revival was unexpectedly great.
