How Brighton Beach Helped Nicholas Christopher Tackle His 'Impossible' Role in Chess

Over plates of Olivier salad at Tatiana’s Restaurant and Nightclub, Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek and Chess star Nicholas Christopher dove into the Russian culture of Brighton Beach, New York—the very same neighborhood that Christopher made a part of his process while preparing to play the steel-hearted Russian chess champion Anatoly Sergievsky. Anatoly’s journey has parallels to Christopher’s, which he reveals whilst walking the Brighton Beach boardwalk with Wontorek.

“Right across the boardwalk, there's a canopy and underneath that canopy are a bunch of chess tables. I would go there and see if anybody wanted to play chess,” says Christopher. “I would leave very soon after that with my tail between my legs of just getting beaten down by playing chess.” But those 'failures' actually lead to a bigger victory for Christopher, stating that now, “in the show when we're standing at those microphones, I know what it really is to sit across the table from somebody and want to obliterate them.”

Between bites, Christopher reflects on the immersive approach he takes to his work. “I think the word ‘method’ makes me sweat a little bit and squirm inside just because of the connotation of what that is,” he says. “And for me, it's very quiet and personal.” He continues, “I would say that I'm an immersive actor. I think, ‘When else in your life do you have an opportunity to learn a culture or a subculture like these chess players or get to talk to people and understand their experience of life?’”

That curiosity traces back to his own story. Born in Bermuda and later moving to Boston, Christopher remembers feeling out of place. “I was definitely the outsider,” he says. Adjusting meant learning to adapt. “Depending on how we wake up that morning, we can be whoever that is and freeing myself of having to be one way or the other; I think it's probably one of the reasons I'm an actor.”

Christopher made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Motown The Musical, leaving the company to join Hamilton as a standby and later replacement for the role of George Washington. In 2023, Christopher played Pirelli in Hamilton director Thomas Kail's revival of Sweeney Todd. He was also cast as the standby for the titular role, garnering attention for his performance as the demon barber. As Jelly in the New York City Center Encores! production of Jelly's Last Jam, he received critical acclaim. Now in Chess, Christopher has solidified his place in the industry after years of work. Garnering heavy praise from critics and award nominations to boot, his star turn has made him a season standout.

A student at the Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School, Christopher's career began when an audition from an old director came up for the In the Heights tour. He received the role of Benny in the end, but had to leave Juilliard two years earlier than planned. “My favorite teacher in the world said, ‘I think you're making a grave mistake.’” Christopher recalls sitting on a bench in Central Park mulling over the decision. “I just wept and I said, ‘I have to. I have to.’”

That leap paid off, and helped to further position him for a Broadway landscape that was rapidly evolving. “I know for me as an actor, the opportunities that came as soon as Hamilton happened opened up a whole different world,” he says. “It definitely helps that a precedent was set that you cast the person based on their essence, not necessarily what they look like.” For Christopher, that meant stepping into a role he never imagined for himself: “Me playing a Russian chess master was not on my bingo card at all.”

Still, the connection runs deep. “I've been thinking a lot about my childhood throughout this,” he says, noting parallels between his own journey and Anatoly’s. “I do remember feeling a little bit unseen and unheard. And I think Anatoly is definitely unheard.” He adds, “Over the years I had to find my own voice. I had to find my own home. And I think that's the trajectory that Anatoly is on.”

Back on the Brighton Beach boardwalk, Christopher reflects on what this role and process has given him. “This is probably the biggest swing I've had to take professionally in terms of what I had to understand or at least attempt to understand,” he says. But Christopher knows more than anyone that big risks pay off. “Every day is like proving to myself that I can do the impossible because to me this is impossible,” he says. “This role is impossible. This music is impossible. Juggling work-life balance is impossible. I just feel like, if you want to be legendary, you got to do legendary sh*t.”

Watch the full interview below.

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