The Broadway revival of Chess will close earlier than planned.
According to a report from Variety published on Tuesday, May 26, the show will end for good on June 21, with star Lea Michele already confirmed to be leaving the show.
The news comes after the Cold War musical, which premiered in London’s West End in May 1986, failed to garner a nomination in the 2026 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, despite widespread praise for Michele, 39.
The snub came as the film garnered five 2026 Tony Award nominations in other categories. The awards included Best Actor for Michelle’s co-star Nicholas Christopher, Best Actor for Bryce Pinkham, Best Actress for Hannah Crews, Best Orchestration of a Musical and Best Lighting Design.
The original plan for Chess was for Joanna “JoJo” Levesque to replace Michele in the role of Florence Vassy, as production would continue until “at least September.”
He also noted that Chess is “struggling to maintain momentum as attendance has fallen to approximately 70% of capacity in recent weeks.” Michelle’s main co-star Aaron Tveit was also snubbed in May when the 2026 Tony nominations were announced.
Chess producers Tom Hulse and Robert Ahrens and the Shubert Organization, Broadway’s oldest professional theater company, shared a statement with the network regarding the show’s closure. “Seeing the heartfelt embrace of this production by longtime fans and first-time audiences alike has been incredibly rewarding for everyone involved and a powerful reminder of why chess has endured for so many years,” the statement said. “It is a great honor to bring ‘Chess’ back to Broadway for the first time in nearly 40 years, and we are extremely proud of everything this production accomplished during its historic run on Broadway.”
Michelle spoke to Us Weekly in July 2025 about starring in her sixth Broadway show, Chess, while raising a young family. She and her husband Zandy Reich have two children, a 5-year-old son, Ever, and a 21-month-old daughter, Emery.
“I’m always learning and growing and asking moms around me and working moms for advice, ‘How do you do it?'” and, “How do you balance it all?” ” the Glee alum told Us at the time. “[I]really try to prepare my family as best as I can to work, to be as myself as I can when I’m home with my family, and to be as myself as I can while I’m at work.”
She continued, “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being present. I try to remember that as much as possible.”
