‘Chess’ to Close Early on Broadway, Timed to Lea Michele’s Exit in June

“Chess” will close early on Broadway, with the buzzy revival ending its run on June 21.

Although Lea Michele was scheduled to depart the production in late June, the musical had intended to remain on Broadway with Joanna “JoJo” Levesque set to take over the lead role of Florence Vassy through at least September. Instead, the show’s closing date will now coincide with Michele’s exit.

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“Chess” was a hot ticket when it opened last fall, breaking several house records at the Imperial Theatre. But the show has struggled to maintain momentum, with attendance dropping to roughly 70% capacity in recent weeks. Then the musical had a weaker-than-expected showing when Tony Award nominations were announced in early May. Although “Chess” scored five nods — including lead actor for Nicholas Christopher, featured actor for Bryce Pinkham and featured actress for Hannah Cruz — the show’s two biggest stars, Michele and Aaron Tveit, were snubbed while the production wasn’t recognized in the musical revival category.

“To see longtime fans and first-time audiences alike embrace this production so wholeheartedly has been incredibly rewarding for everyone involved and a powerful reminder of why ‘Chess’ has endured for so many years,” said producers Tom Hulce, Robert Ahrens and The Shubert Organization. “Bringing ‘Chess’ back to Broadway for the first time in nearly 40 years has been an enormous privilege, and we are extremely proud of everything this production accomplished during its historic Broadway run.”

Set amid the Cold War, the musical revolves around a chess tournament between two grandmasters, one American (Tveit) and the other Soviet (Christopher), as they fight over a woman (Michele) who manages one and falls in love with the other. “Chess” began as a concept album from ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and “Evita’s” Tim Rice before the show opened on London’s West End in 1986.

“Chess,” which boasts catchy songs like “One Night in Bangkok” and “Nobody’s Side,” has a notoriously troubled history on Broadway. A very different version premiered in the U.S. in 1988 and flopped, closing after two months. This revival still features music by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice of “Evita” fame, along with a new book by Emmy Award winner Danny Strong (“Dopesick”). Michael Mayer, who worked with Michele on “Spring Awakening” and “Funny Girl,” directed the show.

Reviews for the revival were mixed, though the performances of Michele, Tveit, Christopher and Cruz were unanimously praised. In Variety’s review, critic Christian Lewis wrote “Despite this revival of ‘Chess’ making some wrong moves […] there’s still some thrilling gameplay, especially from Michele and Christopher, who help provide insight into the magic of ‘Chess’ and make this sometimes uneven game still feel entirely worth watching.”