Full casting has been announced for the hotly anticipated Chess the Musical in Concert, which has now added an additional matinee performance to its chequerboard on Tuesday 2 August 2022 due to popular demand.
The first announced date sold out in 7 days, so there will now be a total of three performances of the iconic production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 1 August at 7.30pm, and 2 August at 2.30pm & 7.30pm
The production will star Samantha Barks as Florence, Hadley Fraser as Anatoly, Joel Harper-Jackson as Freddie, Frances Mayli McCann as Svetlana, Ako Mitchell as The Arbiter, and newly announced Craige Els as Molokov.
Completing the ensemble is Joshua Robinson who will join the previously announced Joseph Craig, Darius J James, Aoife Kenny, Jessica Lee, Nick Len, Natasha May-Thomas, Alice Readie, Stuart Rouse, Phoebe Samuel-Gray, Grant Thresh and Libby Watts.
Chess, with music by ABBA legends Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and lyrics by the incomparable Sir Tim Rice, returns to the West End for the first time since 2018, as part of three star-led musical concerts. They will be accompanied by both the London Musical Theatre Orchestra as well as the London Musical Theatre Chorus and will be presented at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane this August.
The creative team includes: Director and Choreographer: Nick Winston, Associate Director and Choreographer: Alexzandra Sarmiento, Musical Director: Freddie Tapner, Designer: Ruth Sutcliffe, Lighting Designer: Ben Cracknell, Sound Designer: Tom Marshall, Video Projection Designer: Duncan McLean, Casting: Harry Blumenau and Lighting Programmer: Chris Winn, Assistant Director & Choreographer: Tara Young, Production Manager: Pete Kramer, Company Stage Manager: Rachael Downey, Deputy Stage Manager: Bryony Relf, Costume Supervisor: Stephen Frosdick, Sound 1: Harry Greatorex, Sound 2: Olly Smith, Production Sound Engineer: Josh Richardson, Chorus Master: Dan Turek and Assistant Musical Director: Honor Halford-MacLeod.
Chess the Musical in Concert is part of three concerts presented in August at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. It precedes concert stagings of Kinky Boots the Musical in Concert on 8 and 9 August and Treason the Musical in Concert on 22 and 23 August.