On Thursday, Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher joined TODAY with Jenna & Friends to chat about the revival of Chess, now running Broadway’s Imperial Theatre.
The trio spoke about what drew them to the production, which hasn’t been seen on Broadway since the 1980s. “For me, it was really the music… I just think that the songs in Chess are so incredible and so powerful,” said Michele.
During the conversation, Tveit shared how Michele helped him with memorization methods via Post-It notes, which she herself had learned from Kristin Chenoweth. “[She had written down] the first letter of every word of a speech that she had, and so she was looking at her script and looking at the post,” he explained of his co-star. “I started doing it and I learned lines faster than I’ve ever learned them before.”
Watch the full interview, where the cast speaks about their pre-show check-ins, whether they actually play Chess in their own lives, and shared their experiences with performing karaoke.
Chess made its highly anticipated return to Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on October 15, ahead of its official Opening Night on Sunday, November 16. It will run through Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Starring Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge), Emmy Award nominee Lea Michele (Funny Girl) and Nicholas Christopher (Sweeney Todd), Chess is a seductive showdown of love, loyalty, and power on a global stage. As two of the greatest Chess players in the world compete for something beyond victory, the woman between them is caught in a high-stakes battle of desire and devotion.
The cast also includes Hannah Cruz (Suffs) as Svetlana, Bradley Dean (The Phantom of the Opera) as Molokov, Tony Award nominee Sean Allan Krill (Jagged Little Pill) as Walter, and Tony Award nominee Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) as The Arbiter.
Featuring a new book by Emmy Award winner Danny Strong (Dopesick), the musical includes music and lyrics by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics by EGOT winner Tim Rice (Evita). The production is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and choreographed by Drama Desk Award nominee Lorin Latarro (Waitress).
