The Broadway revival of “Chess” starring Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher has taken the world by storm, or at least it’s taken my world by storm. As an avid Tveit lover, I’ve been dying for the cast recording to be released, and my dreams have finally come true.
The Cold War era story of love and politics only had a short run on Broadway in 1988 and gained a cult following as well as mild general fame primarily due to its hit song “One Night in Bangkok,” written by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The original album featured 21 songs and ran for one hour and 12 minutes, while the newest recording, released April 10 of this year, features 33 songs and runs for one hour and 33 minutes.
Before the initial album release, a single from each of the starring roles was released on April 3 to give the world a taste of excellence; “Pity the Child,” “Nobody’s Side,” and “Anthem,” sung by Tveit, Michele, and Christopher respectively.
Because I love Tveit, everything he sings is perfect in my eyes, and “Pity the Child” only confirmed my feeling. From Tveit’s skilled opt ups to his controlled riffs, his voice is so smooth and calming, even though he’s singing about heartbreaking topics.
“Nobody’s Side” was also spectacular, as is Michele’s reputation within the Broadway world. Michele is a powerhouse on the stage, and her talent shows through even in just the audio recording. I’m not usually drawn to Michele’s cast recordings, but her performance in “Chess” might have changed my mind.
As for Christopher, I was not as familiar with his game, which is a total shame because his singing made my jaw drop. “Anthem” was one of the first songs on the album that stopped me in my tracks. The song, which is certainly an impressive anthem, introduced a new sound to the album.
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It was obvious throughout the album that it was written by the men of ABBA. Many of the more emotional songs are reminiscent of “Mamma Mia!,” which I love because that movie and soundtrack is one of my favorites. The back tracks have tunes that sound almost sinister, mixing gentle woodwinds with 80s synth and creating a unique sound within the theatre world.
As in “Anthem” and several of the other songs, the feel is more worship-like, with piano breaks and deeply heartfelt music rather than the synth-pop that floods the rest of the recording.
The album is a bit of what I like to call a “tenor-off” with a splash of melodic soprano. Nearly every song is vocally challenging, with the stars belting their faces off for nearly three hours a night, making me question how these actors are able to perform eight shows a week without a break.
From the moment the newer version of “One Night in Bangkok” was teased on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” I was obsessed. I mean, I reposted at least three videos of the performance on my TikTok account. Although I had the Original Broadway Cast Recording, sung by Murray Head, to tide myself over, I was still psyched for Tveit’s rendition.
It was worth the wait. I’m not going to lie, it was the first song I listened to when the full album was released, and I made my family listen to it as well. They weren’t as excited as I was, but the song was immediately added to my likes and my Broadway belting playlist on Spotify.
Each song sung by the trio is better than the last and many of them forced visceral reactions out of me while listening. My favorite, “Endgame (Pt. 2),” is upwards of eight minutes long and consists of solos by each star, as well as tight harmonies by the ensemble, electric guitar riffs, and string instrument solos.
Besides the main roles, this album featured many more songs that are entirely sung by the ensemble members than the original, as well as more of the instrumentals throughout the show, giving the album more depth and helping those who strictly listen to the soundtrack better understand the plot.
The album was well worth the wait and only made me wish I lived in the Big Apple so I could see the show easier.