1989: Carnegie Hall and Sweden Soon after the show closed on Broadway, a concert version was performed in January 1989 at
Carnegie Hall by the original cast in a sold-out benefit performance. In September 1989, during the finals of the
1989 chess World Cup tournament, the musical was performed twice in
Skellefteå, Sweden, starring Judy Kuhn (Florence in the original Broadway cast), Körberg and Head (principals from the West End production company), and
Anders Eljas conducting members of the Tallinn Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Skellefteå Chamber Choir.
1990s The seven-month-long 1990 American tour acknowledged the ending of the
Cold War. The tour starred
Carolee Carmello, John Herrera, and
Stephen Bogardus and was staged by
Des McAnuff. Playwright Robert Coe worked with McAnuff on revising the show, mostly using the Nelson script and restoring most of the original song order from the British version of the musical and deleting the new songs written for the American version. A UK tour starring
Rebecca Storm and mostly based on the London production, was a bigger success. Once the
Soviet Union fell, the modernization attempts died out: A Tim Rice rewrite played a brief run
off Broadway in 1992 and set the show back to 1972. In 1990, a production was staged at the
Marriott Theatre in
Lincolnshire, Illinois. Directed by David H. Bell and starring Susie McMonagle, David Studwell and
Kim Strauss, it featured another reworking of the Nelson script. A 1990 production in Sydney, Australia, directed by
Jim Sharman, was a critical and popular success at the
Theatre Royal. It used a new version of the book rewritten primarily by Rice to streamline the plot, using parts from each of the previous versions, as well as his original conception for the American version. It starred Jodie Gillies as Florence, David McLeod as Frederick, and Robbie Krupski as Anatoly, and featured
John Wood as Alexander, David Whitney as Walter, Laurence Clifford as the Arbiter, and
Maria Mercedes as Svetlana. The action was shifted to an international hotel in Bangkok during the chess championships. No cast recording was made of this version. Both acts took place at a single chess match in a single city (Bangkok) in the late 1980s. Florence's nationality was changed from Hungarian to Czech, with an accompanying change in the lyrics of "The American and Florence" from "Budapest is rising" to "Prague and
Mr. Dubček". The shift in time also led to a considerably different atmosphere, and a line changed in "Embassy Lament" addressing the fall of the Berlin Wall. As in the British version, Anatoly defects from the Soviet Union, wins the match, then decides to return to the Soviet Union at the end, leading to the possibility that Florence's father, if he is still alive, will be released from prison. Many of the numbers from the British version were lengthened considerably, with an extended "One Night in Bangkok" near the top of the show. "Heaven Help My Heart" ended the first act, with "Anthem" and "Someone Else's Story" (sung by Svetlana with new lyrics) in the second. "The Soviet Machine" and "The Deal" were also extended considerably. A later Australian production played at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, in 1997, with
Barbara Dickson as Florence (she had sung Svetlana on the original studio cast album). Co-stars included
Derek Metzger and
Daryl Braithwaite. In 1992, there was a production directed by
Rob Marshall staged at
Paper Mill Playhouse. The production starred
Steve Blanchard as the American, Judy McLane as Florence, Keith Rice as the Russian,
David Cryer as Molokov,
P. J. Benjamin as Walter, John DeLuca as the Arbiter, and Susan Dawn Carson as Svetlana. In 1994, Chess in Concert toured cities in Sweden. The songs and lyrics were largely identical to the original album, with the addition of "Someone Else's Story" from the American version and "The Soviet Machine" from the British version. The cast included
Anders Glenmark as Frederick,
Karin Glenmark as Florence, and
Tommy Körberg reprising his role from previous productions as Anatoly. A concert performance at Eriksbergshallen in
Gothenburg was recorded. In 1995, a Los Angeles production at Hollywood's Hudson Theater received critical praise. It starred
Douglas Sills as Freddie,
Marcia Mitzman (who played Svetlana in the first Broadway production) as Florence and Sean Smith as Anatoly. For their performances both Mitzman and Smith won an
Ovation Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.
Chess toured in the UK in 1996. The cast included Jacqui Scott, and "Nobody's Side" was used as the finale. In 1996-1997 elements of
Chess were incorporated in the Russian
Mossovet Theatre musical "Igra", along with other songs of
Björn Ulvaeus and
Benny Andersson,
The Beatles, and other hits of 1960-80s. Russian lyrics were penned by Yaroslav Kesler, who also worked on Mossovet's staging of
Jesus Christ Superstar. "Igra" in general was presented as follow up to the famous rock-opera and featured mostly same group of artists and producers, but survived just one season.
2000 to 2009 A Danish tour began in 2001. The English-language version starred mostly British principals, directed by
Craig Revel Horwood. A two-CD album was released, titled
Chess: Complete Cast Album, the only major complete recording of the British version of the musical (plus the addition of the American version's "Someone Else's Story" for Svetlana in Act 2). The production also followed the British version of the plot, though later performances used a much shorter, trimmed-down version closer to the original concept album. The cast included
Zubin Varla as Frederick, Emma Kershaw as Florence,
Stig Rossen as Anatoly, Simon Clark as Alexander, and
James Graeme as Walter,
Gunilla Backman as Svetlana, and Michael Cormick as the Arbiter. A 2002 Swedish-language version,
Chess på svenska, with lyrics and book by Björn Ulvaeus, Lars Rudolffson, and
Jan Mark, attempted to streamline the story back to its original form and eliminate political aspects. It featured new musical numbers (Svetlana's "Han är en man, han är ett barn" ("He is a man, he is a child") and Molokov's "Glöm mig om du kan" ("Forget me if you can" from the demo song "When The Waves Roll Out to Sea")) and focused on material from the concept album. Cast members included
Tommy Körberg, reprising his role as Anatolij,
Helen Sjöholm as Florence,
Josefin Nilsson as Svetlana,
Anders Ekborg as Freddie and
Per Myrberg as Alexander. It was filmed for Swedish television, and has been released on a Swedish-language DVD. It was nominated for eight national Swedish Theatre Awards
Guldmasken, winning six, including Best Leading Actress (Sjöholm), Best Leading Actor (Körberg), and Best Stage Design (Robin Wagner). The cast CD "Chess På Svenska" peaked at number 2 on the Swedish album chart. An Actors Fund of America Benefit Concert was given in 2003 in the
New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway. It was produced without set or costume changes, and with the orchestra onstage. The show was a combination of both the American and British versions, mostly following the British version with regard to music but the American version with regard to the plot, though the American version's subplot with Florence's father was cut. Act 1 was set in Merano, and Act 2 was set in Bangkok, like in the British version. The show, which was recorded, was directed by Peter Flynn, choreographed by
Christopher Gattelli and conducted by
Seth Rudetsky. The cast included
Adam Pascal as Frederick,
Julia Murney as Florence, a young 22 year old
Josh Groban as Anatoly,
Norm Lewis as Molokov,
Jonathan Dokuchitz as Walter,
Raúl Esparza as the Arbiter, and
Sutton Foster as Svetlana. The Estonian production premiered in 2006 at the theatre
Vanemuine in
Tartu. The cast included
Koit Toome and
Gerli Padar as Freddie and Florence, respectively. A concert version was presented in 2007 at the Ford Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, California, mixing the British and American versions. The cast included
Susan Egan as Svetlana,
Kevin Earley as Anatoly,
Ty Taylor as Freddie,
Cindy Robinson as Florence, Thomas Griffith as Alexander, and
Matthew Morrison as the Arbiter. The concert was directed by Brian Michael Purcell. A portion of the proceeds went to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. A German-language version premiered in 2008 at Staatsoperette
Dresden. It ran two seasons until 2010. In 2008, Heartaches and
Warner Bros. Records produced a two-performance concert version of
Chess in Concert together with the City of London Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by
Hugh Wooldridge at the
Royal Albert Hall. This version, adapted by Tim Rice and Hugh Wooldridge with some new lyrics, including almost no dialogue, and substantially following the British version in plot and music, was recorded and released as a 2-CD
cast album and DVD, both titled
Chess in Concert. It was also broadcast on American PBS channels in June 2009. Tim Rice stated in the concert's programme that this version of
Chess is the "official version", after years of different plot and song combinations. Though the plot and score is almost entirely based on that of the British version, this version also adds in two American-originated songs: "Prologue" and "Someone Else's Story". The cast included
Adam Pascal reprising his role as Frederick,
Idina Menzel as Florence,
Josh Groban, who was then 27 years old at the time of the show, reprising his role as Anatoly,
Kerry Ellis as Svetlana,
Marti Pellow as the Arbiter,
David Bedella as Molokov, and
Clarke Peters as Walter. The Civil Servants (in "Embassy Lament") were sung by
Cantabile In 2009, the first official Italian production (in Italian language) took place in Firenze, then replicated in Prato (2010), Campi Bisenzio-FI (2011), and Siena (2011). The cast included Alberto Putignano/Emanuele Nardoni as Frederick, Irene Vavolo/Alessandra D'Onofrio as Florence, Piercarlo Ballo as Anatoly, Ilaria Bongini/Giulia Gazzeri as Svetlana, Riccardo Andreoni as the Arbiter, Maurizio Capuana as Molokov, and Matteo Gazzeri/Marco Davide Toci as Walter. Direction by Piercarlo Ballo.
2010 to 2019 A Hungarian revival of
Chess ran in 2010 in Budapest. This concert production closely followed the script of the Royal Albert Hall production of 2008, though the songs "Hymn of Chess", "The Merchandisers", "The Arbiter" (reprise) and "Talking Chess" were cut. It was produced by PS Produkció and directed by Cornelius Baltus. The Hungarian lyrics were written by Ágnes Romhányi and the choreographer was
Karen Bruce. The first major American revival of
Chess since 1993 ran at the
Signature Theatre in
Arlington, Virginia in 2010. The show followed the story of the American version, though it streamlined the book and reordered some of the songs. It was directed by
Eric D. Schaeffer. The cast included
Jeremy Kushnier as Freddie,
Euan Morton as Anatoly, and
Jill Paice as Florence. A production directed by
Craig Revel Horwood toured for 10 months in the UK, Italy and Ireland in 2010–2011. It was an actor-musician production, with 25 out of the 30 cast members playing instruments. Changes to the libretto included the removal of "Merano" and "Walter and Florence". The cast included
James Fox as Frederick, Shona White as Florence, Daniel Koek as Anatoly, Steve Varnom as Alexander,
James Graeme as Walter, David Erik as the Arbiter, and Poppy Tierney as Svetlana.
Mirvish Productions staged a Toronto run in 2011 at the
Princess of Wales Theatre, following the UK tour, using most of the UK Tour cast with
Tam Mutu taking over the role of Anatoly and
Rebecca Lock as Svetlana. Another German version (with the songs performed in English) was produced by the
Theater Bielefeld (Municipal Theatre Bielefeld) in
Bielefeld, Germany in 2011–2012. A one-night concert was given at
Lincoln Center, in New York in 2012, billed as "
Chess in Concept 2012: A benefit performance for the Actors Fund of America". The cast included
Robert Cuccioli as Anatoly, Natascia Diaz as Florence,
Drew Sarich as Frederick, and Tamra Hayden as Svetlana. This version returned to the original concept album for its musical structure, Tim Rice's original scenario, and incorporated virtually all of the British score. It was produced and directed, and the score was arranged, by Christopher Martin. A New Zealand production of
Chess ran in 2012, in the
Regent On Broadway, directed by Steven Sayer. The show was produced by the Abbey Musical Theatre. A 2012 Melbourne, Australia production was directed by
Gale Edwards and mounted by
The Production Company. The cast featured
Martin Crewes as Frederick,
Michael Falzon as the Arbiter,
Silvie Paladino as Florence, and
Simon Gleeson as Anatoly, It was staged at the State Theatre, backed by
Orchestra Victoria. The role of the Arbiter was expanded slightly by sharing Florence's song "Nobody's Side". The show ran for 10 performances and was nominated for twelve
Green Room Awards in 2012, eventually winning seven.
Chess was also nominated for two 2013
Helpmann Awards, with Paladino winning
Actress in a Leading Role. In 2012, the GöteborgsOperan (Gothenburg Opera, Sweden) ran the Swedish-language version,
Chess på Svenska, under the direction of Mira Bartov. The musical ran until the Fall of 2013. The roles of Anatoly and Freddie were played by Philip Jalmelid and
Christopher Wollter. Evelyn Jons played Florence and Nina Pressing played Svetlana.
East West Players staged a revival of the UK version of
Chess with a multi-cultural cast in 2013 at the
David Henry Hwang Theatre in Los Angeles, California, directed by
Tim Dang. The production garnered a positive review from the
Los Angeles Times. A South Korean production opened in 2015, with k-pop stars
Jo Kwon,
CNU,
Key, and
Ken quadruple-cast as Anatoly.
Porchlight Music Theatre presented
Chess as a part of their "Porchlight Revisits" season in which they present three forgotten musicals per year. It was in Chicago, Illinois in May 2016. It was directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber, choreographed by Brenda Didier, and music directed by Jimmy Morehead. In 2017, a Swedish theatre group, UnderhållningsPatrullen, presented the Swedish-language version,
Chess på Svenska, at the Kristianstad Theatre, with a premiere date of 23 September 2017. The production included a reduced orchestration by
Anders Eljas, to introduce a new version for future productions better suited to smaller theatre venues. The roles of Anatoly, Florence, and Freddie were played by Johan Wikström, Frida Modén Treichl, and Patrik Martinsson. Hanna la Fleur performed as Svetlana, Peter Järnstedt plays Molokov, and David Rix played the Arbiter. The production was directed by Ola Hörling. The Kristianstad production ran for an expanded schedule and finally closed in December 2017 after 47 shows. A limited-run West End revival began at the
London Coliseum on 26 April 2018 through 2 June 2018, officially opening on 1 May 2018. Billed as the first revival of the show in 30 years, the production was directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography by
Stephen Mear. The cast included
Michael Ball as Anatoly, Phillip Browne as Molokov,
Alexandra Burke as Svetlana, Cedric Neal as the Arbiter,
Tim Howar as Freddie and
Cassidy Janson as Florence. Described as a new interpretation of the original concept album, the production kept the first act in Merano and the second in Bangkok, and included all songs from the concept album (including "Argument"), along with the popular "Someone Else's Story", removed the character of Walter entirely, and dropped the final twist of Florence's father never having been found after all, instead ending on the bittersweet parting of Florence and Anatoly amidst the triumphant crescendo of You And I. After a table reading, a revival of the musical with a restructured storyline penned by
Danny Strong was directed by
Michael Mayer. The production had a pre-Broadway tryout in the
Eisenhower Theater at the
Kennedy Center from 14 to 18 February 2018. The cast included
Raúl Esparza as Freddie,
Ramin Karimloo as Anatoly,
Karen Olivo as Florence,
Ruthie Ann Miles as Svetlana,
Bradley Dean as Molokov,
Sean Allan Krill as Walter de Courcey, and
Bryce Pinkham as the Arbiter. This production, though keeping much of the original plot of the 1986 West End production, expanded on it significantly. Each act had a political background: Act One, set in 1979, centered on negotiations for the
SALT-II treaty, and Act Two, set four years later, centered on suspicions surrounding the
Able Archer 83 exercises. Walter no longer had a cover and was openly a CIA agent. Freddie was portrayed as having
paranoid schizophrenia, and the show ended with Florence's father being released.
2020 to present Chess played at the Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall in Osaka, Japan (25–28 January 2020) and at the Tokyo International Forum Hall C in Tokyo (1–9 February).
Ramin Karimloo played Anatoly with
Samantha Barks as Florence, Luke Walsh as Freddie, Takanori Sato as the Arbiter, Eliana as Svetlana, and Hideya Masuhara as Molokov. The ensemble included Megumi Iino, Hiroaki Ito, Takashi Otsuka, Kana Okamoto, Naoki Shibahara, Tatsunori Senna, Kota Someya, Tomohiko Nakai, Nanaka, Ai Ninomiya, Ami Norimatsu, Maaya Harada, Kan Muto, Daisuke Moriyama, Sayaka Watabiki, and Kiyoka Wada. The show was directed and choreographed by Nick Winston. In February 2020, Oslo's Folkteateret began previews for a new production based on
Chess på svenska. This was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally opened on 24 August 2022. It starred André Søfteland as Anatolij, Espen Grjotheim as Freddie, Karoline Krüger as Florence, Marion Ravn as Svetlana, Øystein Røger as Molokov, and Elisabeth Andreassen as the Arbiter. On 7 July 2022, the production released a cast album. On 17 October 2020, the first Russian production of
Chess premiered at the MDM Theatre in
Moscow. It was produced by
Dmitriy Bogachov, the former head of Stage Entertainment Russia, founder of Moscow Broadway, and member of The Broadway League. The opening had been scheduled for 10 October, but was moved a week later. The cast included Aleksandr Sukhanov and Kirill Gordeev as Anatoly,
Anastasia Stotskaya, Olga Belyaeva, and Yulia Iva as Florence, the Aleksandrs, Aleksandr Kazmin and Aleksandr Bobrov as Freddie, Anna Guchenkova and Yulia Iva as Svetlana, Stanislav Belyaev and Denis Demkiv as the Arbiter, and the two Aleksandrs, Aleksandr Marakulin, Aleksandr Matrosov, and Andrey Shkoldychenko as Molokov. The lyrics were translated by
Aleksei Ivaschenko (
Nord-Ost, Russian versions of
The Phantom of the Opera,
The Sound of Music). The show was mostly based on the West End version, but took many cues from the original concept album. The prologue is set in Moscow, as in the Swedish version, and the rest of the show is set in Merano (Act I) and Bangkok (Act II). Walter was omitted and the songs "Merchandisers", "Florence and Molokov", "Anatoly and the Press", "One More Opponent", "Talking Chess" and "Finale" were removed. The song "Argument" was included. The chess games played on stage are actual historical chess games:
Karpov-Korchnoi (1978) and
Spassky-Fischer (1972) in Act I, and
Karjakin-Caruana (2016) in Act II. Starting 7 April 2020, the omitted song "Merchandisers" was performed by the chorus in the theater lobby during intermission. The production closed on 16 October 2022, running for over 600 performances, making it the second-longest running professional production of the show, after only the original London production. A semi-staged concert hall production toured Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane from April to June 2021. A cut-down version of the general plot of the original London version, changes included the movement of "Someone Else's Story" back to Act One and "I Know Him So Well" before "The Deal". It was accompanied by a 26 piece orchestra and 40 person choir. According to the musical director's notes in the program, they tried to stay faithful to the sound, feel and spirit of the concept album, sourcing original keyboard and drum sounds. Although "semi-staged", it had a small set consisting of a chess board with large pieces representing towns where the tournaments were held, and a dance ensemble, elaborate choreography and lighting. A two-day concert based mostly on the London version was held at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 1 and 2 August 2022. The show starred
Samantha Barks as Florence,
Hadley Fraser as Anatoly, Joel Harper-Jackson as Freddie,
Frances Mayli McCann as Svetlana,
Ako Mitchell as the Arbiter, and Craige Els as Molokov. The show largely followed the plot of the London version, but cut several songs and added "Someone Else's Story" before "Embassy Lament". On 12 December 2022, a one-night benefit concert for the
Entertainment Community Fund played at the
Broadhurst Theatre. Ramin Karimloo reprised his role as Anatoly, joined by
Darren Criss as Freddie,
Lena Hall as Florence, and
Solea Pfeiffer as Svetlana. Bradley Dean, Bryce Pinkham, and Sean Allan Krill reprised their roles of Molokov, The Arbiter, and Walter, respectively. The script used was a revised version of the Kennedy Center book, mostly expanding on Freddie and Anatoly. Anatoly's dissatisfaction with life in the Soviet Union was heightened to contemplating suicide and increased suspicion of Svetlana, and Freddie's schizophrenia was changed to undiagnosed
bipolar disorder. A plot point was also added where Florence and Anatoly had already met and had a brief affair at a previous tournament in Rome.
The Muny Opera Theatre in
St. Louis staged
Chess as part of their 105th season from 5 to 11 July 2023. The cast featured
Jessica Vosk as Florence,
Jarrod Spector as Freddie, John Riddle as Anatoly,
Taylor Louderman as Svetlana,
Rodney Hicks as Walter, Tally Sessions as Molokov, and Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Arbiter. The production was directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes. The production stuck mostly to the plot of the original London version, but moved several songs around and added some new dialogue scenes. The production was sponsored by the
Saint Louis Chess Club and the
World Chess Hall of Fame, both located close to the theatre. In 2025 the Stadttheater Baden near
Vienna, Austria staged
Chess featuring
Drew Sarich as Frederick Trumper, Mark Seibert as Anatoly, Femke Soetenga as Florence, and
Ann Mandrella as Svetlana. It was directed by Andreas Gergen. In the fall of 2025,
Det Ny Teater staged the musical, featuring Thomas Høj Falkenberg as Anatoly, Xenia Lach-Nielsen as Florence, Anders Gjesing as Freddie, Søren Bech-Madsen as Molokov, Frederikke Vedel as Svetlana, Simon Nøiers as the Arbiter, and
Jon Lange as Walter.
2025 Broadway revival Chess had its first Broadway revival in 2025, starring
Aaron Tveit as Freddie,
Lea Michele as Florence, and
Nicholas Christopher as Anatoly. It was directed by
Michael Mayer and featured a new book by
Danny Strong, following concert versions of the show presented by the same creative team in 2018 at the
Kennedy Center and in 2022 at the
Broadhurst Theatre. The
Tony Awards Administration Committee held that the new book was eligible for a
Tony Award for the Best Book of a Musical. The new book also explicitly incorporates historical events and incidents of the Cold War, pairing the Act I finale with the real-life
SALT II discussions and the Act II finale with the
Able Archer 83 exercises. Strong drew from prior iterations of
Chess but did not consult the book of the 1988 Broadway version. The production has recorded a
cast album which released on Friday, April 10, 2026. The cast includes
Hannah Cruz as Svetlana and
Bradley Dean,
Sean Allan Krill, and
Bryce Pinkham reprising their roles of Molokov, Walter, and the Arbiter from the earlier Kennedy Center and Broadhurst Theatre concerts. The show is a limited run that has been extended through September 13, 2026. The production was nominated for a
Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. ==Principal roles and casting history==