A star-studded concert of the London and Broadway musical Chess will be presented December 12 at the Broadhurst Theatre to benefit The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund. Show time is 7:30 PM.
Directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer, the cast will be led by Darren Criss (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Freddie Trumper, Tony winner Lena Hall (Hedwig, Little Shop of Horrors) as Florence Vassey, Ramin Karimloo (Funny Girl) as Anatoly Sergievsky, and Solea Pfeiffer (Almost Famous) as Svetlana Sergievsky. Additional casting will be announced.
Chess—a love story set against the Cold War chess battles between the United States and Russia—features a score by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and EGOT winner Tim Rice. The forthcoming benefit will feature a new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong.
The evening will be presented in association with Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman.
“We’re thrilled to help bring this new iteration of such a beloved musical to New York City,” says Entertainment Community Fund Chair Brian Stokes Mitchell. “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.”
Chess debuted on the London stage with a cast led by Elaine Paige, Tommy Körberg, and Murray Head, while the Broadway company featured Judy Kuhn, Philip Casnoff, and the late David Carroll. The score includes such tunes as “Nobody’s Side,” “One Night in Bangkok,” “Anthem,” “I Know Him So Well,” “Pity the Child,” and “You and I.” The original Broadway cast recording was released on RCA Victor.
In 2003 The Entertainment Community Fund (then the Actors Fund) presented a benefit concert of Chess starring Julia Murney, Adam Pascal, Norm Lewis, Josh Groban, and more.
Chess was originally produced on Broadway by The Shubert Organization, 3 Knights Ltd., and Robert Fox Ltd.
For tickets visit EntertainmentCommunity.org/Chess. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Douglas Ramirez at [email protected].
