Theater News

Kennedy Center Chess Creative Team Revealed

Raúl Esparza and Ramin Karimloo star in the musical in Washington, D.C.

Raúl Esparza is set to star in Chess at the Kennedy Center.
Raúl Esparza is set to star in Chess at the Kennedy Center.
(© David Gordon)

Additional information about The Kennedy Center's upcoming concert production of Chess has been revealed. The 1984 musical by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice, will run February 14-18 in the Eisenhower Theater. Danny Strong provides a new adaptation.

Directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, Chess will star Raúl Esparza (Company) as Freddie Trumper, Ramin Karimloo (Anastasia) as Anatoly Sergievsky, Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles (The King and I) as Svetlana Sergievsky, Tony Award winner Karen Olivo (West Side Story) as Florence Vassy, Bradley Dean (Dear Evan Hansen) as Ivan Molokov, Sean Allan Krill (Honeymoon in Vegas) as Walter Anderson, and Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) as the Arbiter.

The Chess ensemble includes Paige Faure, Nkrumah Gatling, Casey Garvin, Adam Halpin, Ericka Hunter, Sean MacLaughlin, Morgan Marcell, Marissa McGowan, Chelsea Turbin, Christopher Vo, Minami Yusui, and Ricardo Zayas. Additional casting, creative team, and designers will be announced shortly.

Joining the creative team are choreographer Lorin Latarro, music director Chris Fenwick, orchestrator and arranger Brian Usifer, set designer David Rockwell, lighting designer Kevin Adams, projection designer Darrel Maloney, sound designer Kai Harada, and costume designer Clint Ramos.

Chess is described as an "epic rock opera about love and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Cold War as two superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends." The original concept album spawned two international hit singles, "I Know Him So Well" and "One Night in Bangkok." The show, which played Broadway in 1988, has been revised with a new book by Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning writer Danny Strong (Empire).

Following Chess, the Broadway Center Stage series continues with In the Heights (March 21-25) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (June 6-8).

For tickets and more information, click here.