Darren Criss, Lena Hall, Ramin Karimloo and Solea Pfeiffer Set for Chess Benefit Concert on Broadway
(Photos: Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com)
A starry benefit concert of Chess is coming to Broadway for one night only. The concert will feature Emmy winner Darren Criss as Freddie Trumper, Tony winner and Little Shop of Horrors star Lena Hall as Florence Vassey, Funny Girl's Ramin Karimloo as Anatoly Sergievsky and Almost Famous star Solea Pfeiffer as Svetlana Sergievsky. The event will take place on December 12 at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre and benefit the Entertainment Community Fund. Tony winner Michael Mayer will direct.
Chess features a score by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and EGOT winner Tim Rice and features a new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong.
The musical is a love story set against the historic Cold War chess battles between the United States and Russia where ideologies dangerously clash. Strong’s new book is sharp, funny and captures the tension of the era as the iconic score keeps the stakes high from start to finish.
“We’re thrilled to help bring this new iteration of such a beloved musical to New York City,” said Entertainment Community Fund Chair Brian Stokes Mitchell in a statement. “Our thanks to Tom, Ira and the whole Chess company for their generous support of our programs and services to help those in our industry this holiday season,” he added referring to producers Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman, who are presenting the concert in association with the Entertainment Community Fund.
The show was originally produced on Broadway in 1988. A benefit concert in 2003 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, starring Tony winner Sutton Foster, Josh Groban, Julia Murney and Adam Pascal, also supported the Entertainment Community Fund (then called The Actors' Fund). A new staging, starring Raúl Esparza, Tony winner Karen Olivo, Karimloo and Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles, bowed at the Kennedy Center in 2018. Rice has been hinting that a new Broadway production may be in the works.
Additional casting for the December 12 concert will be announced later.
