Get ready to make your move. The 1988 Broadway musical about a world championship chess match between the U.S. and Russia returns. If the plot doesn’t sound hair-raising, listen to the score, which has become a favorite among high school talent show belters for the last 35 years.
The original production starred David Carroll, Philip Casnoff, and Judy Kuhn as “two players and the woman torn between them,” and lasted 68 performances. But an early flop didn’t stop Merrily We Roll Along from making a triumphant comeback last season, so anything’s possible, especially with director Michael Mayer at the helm, who helped relaunch Michele’s stage career when she stepped into Funny Girl.
Gen X’ers might recognize “One Night in Bangkok,” which peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, but it’s those belty ballads and synth pop songs (“Anthem,” “I Know Him so Well,” “Pity the Child”) that will have hardcore 80s original Broadway cast album fans squirming in their seats.
An opening date and theater have yet to be announced, but it is expected to be in Fall 2025. Here’s a teaser:
