Lea Michele To Depart ‘Chess’ on Broadway in June

Lea Michele will depart Chess on Broadway on June 21. 

Michele leaves the manufacturing after opening the musical on the Imperial Theatre in November. A substitute for Michele’s main position of Florence Vassy might be introduced at a later date, with a brand new block of tickets set to go on sale subsequent week, implying a continued run for the present. 

In the musical, Michele’s Vassy is caught between American chess prodigy Freddie Trumper, performed by Aaron Tveit, whom she coaches and as soon as cherished, and Russian grandmaster, Anatoly Sergievsky, performed by Nicholas Christopher, who has drawn her curiosity. Chess additionally options Hannah Cruz, Bryce Pinkham, Bradley Dean and Sean Allan Krill.

Chess marked Michele’s return to Broadway after changing Beanie Feldstein in Funny in September 2022. Michele was beforehand on Broadway in Spring Awakening from 2006 to 2008, which helped result in her well-known position as Rachel Berry on Glee. 

During her flip in Chess, Michele has been a dependable field workplace draw, as evidenced by a $802,675 drop in grosses, when she was out of the present for a number of performances in February attributable to a scheduled absence. She leaves two weeks after the 2026 Tony Awards ceremony, the place the musical might be in rivalry for a number of classes. The manufacturing didn’t record a purpose for her departure.

Chess incorporates a new e-book by Danny Strong, music and lyrics by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice (Evita), route by Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and choreography by Lorin Latarro (Waitress).