"Outstanding production!!! Must see musical theater!
Interesting that the Director, Michael Mayer, seemed to stage it like a Greek tragedy. Checked all the boxes of one and I thought it was a brilliant modern interpretation actually. You must see how well it worked despite the fact that I’m never a fan of the minimalistic set trend on modern broadway revivals of late that is a tenant of Greek tragedies. Really leaves out the sense of place that helps draw you into the moment. Just a bench or a couple of chairs surrounded by neon… in EVERY SCENE!? ;) No bueno really.
Katerina Papacostas, understudy for LM, crushed it! Her voice is stunning and you can tell she took the opportunity to genuinely put it all out there on the stage and we loved her!
A a ron Tveit! What can we say, he is broadway royalty and Elicia and I take every opportunity to see his performances where ever he goes!
Nicholas Christopher is one crazy tenor! He clearly has the best singing performances of the night! And alongside Tviet and Papacostas really saying something!!
Another worthy call out was the choreography of Lorin Latarro! This was all from the chorus ensemble, who were on stage for 90% of the show, blending beautiful voices, movements, and bodies in delightful ways that was fun to watch at all times.
Bryce Pinkam, the narrator, was really great, his energy infectious and kept the show moving well with his quirky and clever commentary at every turn of the narrative. He may have stole the show with his performance.
Lastly, The Orchestra was incorporated on stage into the minimal set which reminded me of the Hollywood Squares but they were excellent, sounded great, and also fun to watch throughout.
Definitely go see this production for the impressive singing and dancing alone! They could skip all the dialogue. ;)"
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Jonathan G from Woodcliff Lake on Dec 15, 2025
Mixed
"I overall enjoyed the show. I felt the first half was a bit slow, and it was sometimes difficult to follow the song lyrics.
The second half’s energy was much better although it was still hard to follow lyrics of some key songs
The singing was beautiful overall but the show still needs some tightening up
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Stephen M from Westport on Nov 1, 2025
Great music and performances
"The three leads and Bryce Pinkham are terrific. The orchestra was often too loud making lyrics hard to follow especially when the chorus sang. The second act seemed a little long."
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 27, 2025
Not about the game of Chess.
"Fun, lively and engaging. Great performances. Timely. The narrator kept things going. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 24, 2025
A little hard to follow
"The singers were fantastic as I expected them to be. The storyline was a little slow in act one. Act two definitely picked up."
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 9, 2025
Good music, bad book
"The plot connecting Soviet/American relationships to a game of chess is clever but not realized. Maybe if you know about chess you would appreciate it more. The ABBA/Rice music and performances are good. But it is too long and bogged down by a narrator who seems to be apologizing for the production and inserting irrelevant contemporary references. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 7, 2025
About
Chess
Chess is the iconic musical where power and passion collide, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s America versus Russia at the World Chess Championship, where the espionage and romance are as complicated and exhilarating as the game itself. For the two players and the woman torn between them, everything—personal, professional, and political—is at risk… and nobody’s rules are the same.
