Chess Revival For Broadway

Published on 4 September 2009
by Jonathan Dudley

Benny Andersson, formerly of the legendary 1970s pop band Abba, has revealed plans to revive the musical Chess on Broadway.

Written by Andersson, his former bandmate Bjorn Ulvaeus and celebrated lyricist Tim Rice, Chess was initially released as an album in 1984. It did not become a full blown musical stage show until its London premiere at the Prince Edward Theatre in 1986.

A critical success in the UK, Chess won a London Critics’ Theatre Award and was nominated for three Oliviers in its opening year. The show went on to run for three years in the West End but bombed on Broadway, closing after only two months.

Andersson revealed his plans to revive Chess to The Stage newspaper, saying: “Someone wants to have another go on Broadway, I am not sure which theatre yet, but I think it will happen.”

There is currently no word on whether or not the revival will reach the West End. However, Andersson’s full interview has not yet been published, and will appear in next week’s print edition of The Stage.

Here‘s a little snippet from the 2008 Royal Albert Hall performance of Chess starring Idina Menzel.

Source: http://www.show-and-stay.co.uk

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