Checkmate or Stalemate? My honest review of Chess on Broadway!

Hi guys! If you have made it to my page you probably already know that I’m a teenager born and raised in Manhattan who absolutely loves Broadway (and the West End any time I am in London)! I’m here to give you my honest take on shows, interviews with actors and

“theater people” and just an NYC teenager’s perspective on Broadway. So first up is my review of Chess, the 1980’s classic musical which features a legendary soundtrack by two the stars of ABBA.

Back on Broadway for the 2026 season, Chess, which is set in the 1980’s, uses a world championship chess match between two grandmasters, American Freddy Trumper (no relation!)  and Soviet Anatoly Sergievsky, as a metaphor for the Cold War. It is a story of political manipulation and a high stakes love triangle where the players are pawns for their respective governments. Given current world events, this staging is very timely and added to my interest in seeing the show! 

Chess has been staged repeatedly on Broadway and on the West End over the past few decades and has been criticized as being hard to follow as it dives right into the characters without a lot of framing. This Broadway rendition addresses this by introducing the character of a narrator (the Arbiter) who sets the tone and guides the viewer through the plot, providing the political context for the play. He is expertly played by the hilarious Bryce Pinkham, who frequently broke the “fourth wall” and directly addressed the audience making funny references to current political events (including the worm in RFK Jr.’s brain lol). He was my favorite character in the show by far. This was my second time seeing Chess, the first time I saw the full original cast, including its star Lea Michele. I then saw it for a second time with her understudy Samantha Pollino. 

The Cast

The show has a relatively large cast: three leads- Aaron Tveit as Freddie Trumper, Lea Michele as Florence Vassy and Nicholas Christopher as Anatoly Sergievsky as well as Bryce Pinkham as the Arbiter, Alan Krill as a comedic CIA agent, Bradley Dean as his very Russian counterpart KGB agent, Hannah Cruz in a small role in Act 2 as Anatoly’s estranged wife and a stellar ensemble of around 20 (including two of my favorites from last year’s Broadway hit revival of Sunset Boulevard- Shavey Brown and Sydney Jones) who dance through the cold war adding a very fun element to what could be a very serious topic. 

Having now seen two different versions of Florence, I think the role reads very differently depending on who plays her. As the female lead and love interest- the role largely leads the show. Lea Michele, although an extraordinary singer, lacked chemistry with both male leads, making it hard for me to really believe the romantic pairings. Samantha Pollino’s voice was less powerful than Lea’s, but she had slightly better chemistry with both the male leads. But to be honest, the “romantic” plot in general felt pretty forced so I would probably have downplayed that all together.  Across both actresses, the bedroom scene between Anatoly and Florence felt particularly staged, awkward, and weirdly out of place. I really could have done without the forced intimacy…

Aaron Tveit was the undisputed standout. He was perfectly cast for Freddy who is clearly deeply mentally unwell, and overtaken by paranoia. His character could be representative of America as a whole at that time, seeing ghosts of Communist conspiracy everywhere he goes. His look captures Freddy’s disheveled and jaded persona, (always on stage with exactly 2 days stubble and slightly too-long hair). 

His rendition of the classic “One Night in Bangkok” opens Act 2 and that scene, which features him (and the entire ensemble) dancing (in their underwear!) was one of my favorites! Nicholas Christopher has an incredible voice, though his performance, which definitely captured Anatoly’s ‘Soviet machine’ energy, was so robotic that it took away from the emotion and made me dislike his character.

The Set

The set is the highlight for sure. The stage is split down the middle, red and blue to show the juxtaposition between the US vs. the USSR. I loved all of the intricate details, like the missiles hidden beside the chess pieces on the shelves. Overall, the production value was really high, and the set did a great job of keeping the show alive and engaging.

As great as the set was, I thought the costuming was a bit too minimalist. It needed more of a visual bridge to distinguish Freddy from Anatoly to really emphasize their rivalry and the broader rivalry between the two countries. 

Pacing 

The score has about 5 to 10 super catchy songs (many of that you are sure to have heard before but like me probably didn’t realize they came from a musical) but they slow toward the end. After the final chess match in Act 2, there are many extra songs that feel unnecessary and there is a moment (that was added for this 2026 rendition) where (SPOILER ALERT) Florence reunites with her father—who she thought died in a prison camp— that felt really off; it was a little Hallmark movie coded and was a bit too sentimental for a cynical show on Cold War ideologies. I also found it hard to root for Anatoly and Florence as a couple because, honestly, they both came across as insanely toxic. Anatoly abandons his wife and kids and flees to the UK, while Florence leaves her unstable schizophrenic partner of YEARS for his direct opponent. 

Even with this in mind, I still really enjoyed the show (and was on the edge of my seat the entire time!).

Overall…

Despite some reservations, I think Chess is definitely a must-see this season. Especially in this political climate, it's very important to have shows that look back at our history and highlight how quickly people's lives can become collateral damage in global power struggles. 

 (AND the first time I saw this show, I couldn’t stop singing One Night In Bangkok for days!!)

Rating: 7/10

Thank you for reading!