Lea Michele Returning to Broadway in First-Ever Chess Revival Alongside Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher

Lea Michele is making her next big move, and it’s back to Broadway!

The 38-year-old actress is headlining a new production of Chess, the cult-favorite musical from EGOT-winning lyricist Tim Rice and songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA fame).

Performances will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 15 ahead of an official opening on Nov. 16 at the Imperial Theatre in New York City. .

It’ll be the first time Chess has ever been revived and the first time Michele has been back on the boards since her celebrated run in the 2022 revival of Funny Girl.

Prior to becoming a household name in 2009 with her role in Fox’s hit musical series Glee, Michele was a staple on stage. She made her debut in 1995 as Young Cosette in Les Misérables, and went on to star in Ragtime (1998) and the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Her breakout part in the original Broadway cast of 2006’s Spring Awakening — alongside Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher, Jr. and Skylar Astin — even earned her a Drama Desk nomination.

Michele will reunite with Spring Awakening‘s Tony-winning director Michael Mayer for Chess, who will helm the production. Lorin Latarro (Waitress) will choreograph.

Two theater veterans will join her on stage: Tony winner Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Catch Me If You Can) and Nicholas Christopher (Hamilton, Miss Saigon]. They were both last seen on Broadway in the 2023 revival of Sweeney Todd.

Chess has long been one of Broadway’s most beloved underdogs — a fan-favorite musical with a soaring pop score, a famously tangled plot and a dramatic history as complicated as the game of chess itself.

Set during a tense Cold War-era chess tournament between American grandmaster Freddie Trumper and his Soviet rival Anatoly Sergievsky, Chess follows the romantic and political fallout when the tournament’s Hungarian-born arbiter, Florence Vassy, becomes entangled in a love triangle that threatens both the game and her past.

For the revival, Tveit will play Freddie Trumper, while Christopher will step into the role of Anatoly Sergievsky. Michele will star as Florence Vassey.

The show first took shape in the early 1980s as a concept album. Released in 1984, the LP — featuring hits like “One Night in Bangkok,” “Anthem” and “I Know Him So Well” — was a commercial success, building anticipation for a full stage production.

“One Night in Bangkok” even reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1985.

By 1986, Chess had made it to the stage, in a production directed by Trevor Nunn that debuted in London’s West End. That version was a hit, running for three years and earning praise for its ambitious score and sleek staging.

But when the show crossed the Atlantic in 1988, it faced a rockier path. The Broadway production — heavily revised with a new book by Richard Nelson — opened at the Imperial Theatre but closed after just two months, plagued by mixed reviews and behind-the-scenes creative clashes.

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Despite its short-lived Broadway run, Chess gained a loyal following and has been regularly revived around the world in concert stagings, regional productions and high-profile benefits. Among the most notable was a 2008 televised concert staged from London’s Royal Albert Hall that starred Adam Pascal, Josh Groban and Idina Menzel.

A 2018 Kennedy Center production — with Raúl Esparza, Ramin Karimloo and Karen Olivo — was previously believed to be Broadway-bound, though never materialized.

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Emmy Award winner Danny Strong (“Dopesick”) will pen a new book for this Chess revival. Further members of the creative team, as well as casting and run dates, will be announced shortly.

“Let the games begin,” a promo video for the musical released on Wednesday, May 28 teased.

For more information, and to sign up for first access tickets visit www.ChessBroadway.com.