Raul Esparza, Karen Olivo, Ramin Karimloo & Ruthie Ann Miles to Lead Chess at the Kennedy Center

Four-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza, Tony winner Karen Olivo, Tony nominee Ramin Karimloo and Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles will lead the cast of a new production of the cult-favorite musical Chess at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Tony winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) will direct. Chess will play a limited run from February 14-18, 2018 at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater. Esparza will take on the role of American chess champion Freddie Trumper, Olivo will appear as Hungarian refugee Florence Vassy, Karimloo will play Russian chess star Anatoly Sergievsky and Miles will appear as Anatoly's wife, Svetlana Sergievsky. Chess features music by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus with lyrics by Tim Rice. This production will feature a new book by Danny Strong.

"The high school musical-theater nerd in me can barely believe I’m writing a new book to one of my favorite musicals," Strong told Broadway.com in an exclusive statement. "Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have created one of the great rock scores of all time and it's truly a pinch-me moment that I get to work with them on their legendary show. Hopefully this will give inspiration to fanboys everywhere that it is possible to get to play with your heroes!"

Chess is set against the background of the Cold War in the late 1970s/early 1980s, during which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends. Two of the world’s greatest chess masters, one American (Esparza), one Russian (Karimloo), are in danger of becoming the pawns of their governments as their battle for the world title gets underway. Simultaneously their lives are thrown into further confusion by a Hungarian refugee (Olivo), a remarkable woman who becomes the center of their emotional triangle. 

The company of the Kennedy Center production of Chess will also include Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham as the Arbiter, Bradley Dean as Ivan Molokov and Sean Allan Krill as Walter Anderson. The Chess ensemble will include Paige Faure, Nkrumah Gatling, Casey Garvin, Adam Halpin, Ericka Hunter, Sean MacLaughlin, Morgan Marcell, Marissa McGowan, Chelsea Turbin, Christopher Vo, Minami Yusui and Ricardo Zayas.

With an original book by Richard Nelson, Chess first debuted in London in 1986, boasting a cast led by Elaine Paige, Murray Head, Tommy Korberg and Barbara Dickson. The production ran for three years at the Prince Edward Theatre. The 1988 Broadway production, starring Judy Kuhn, Philip Casnoff, David Carroll and Marcia Mitzman, ran for just two months at the Imperial Theatre. A notable Chess concert, starring Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Adam Pascal and Kerry Ellis, played London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2008. A West End revival of the musical will play the London Coliseum in 2018.

Additional casting, creative team and designers for the Kennedy Center production of Chess will be announced at a later date.