Chess is the great unsolved Broadway musical — a monster of a score theater people have argued about for four decades because the songs are enormous and the book has never quite behaved. That is what makes seeing it live worth doing: "Anthem" and "I Know Him So Well" sung full-throttle in a Broadway house rather than off a cast recording. If you like a musical you can argue about afterward, this is it.
What to expect
The Imperial is a mid-sized Broadway house on Forty-Fifth Street with a deep orchestra and two balconies. Expect a heavily sung-through evening with a large orchestra, projection-driven staging for the international jet-setting, and two acts with an intermission. The score sits high, so the vocal showpieces land as the main event.
Good to know
- The Imperial sits mid-block on Forty-Fifth Street, one of the denser theater blocks — arrive before the sidewalk clogs
- Times Square–Forty-Second Street and Fiftieth Street stations both put you a short walk away
- Sung-through shows reward closer seats; rear mezzanine is fine for the score but flattens the staging
- Digital lottery and rush allocations exist for most Broadway titles — check before paying full price
- The show is entirely a story about adults and politics, so it plays best for teens and up
- Accessible seating and assistive listening should be requested at time of booking
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Common questions
Did ABBA really write this?
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA wrote the music, with lyrics by Tim Rice of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. It is not an ABBA jukebox show.
Do I need to understand chess?
Not at all. The match is a frame for a Cold War rivalry and a love triangle; no knowledge of openings or endgames is required.
Which songs will I recognize?
Most people know "One Night in Bangkok" from radio and "I Know Him So Well" from the Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson recording.
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