Singer, songwriter and actress Joanna “JoJo” Levesque will take over the lead role of Florence Vassy from Lea Michele in the hit Broadway revival of “Chess.” She will star alongside Tony Award winner Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher and will begin her run on June 23, 2026.
Levesque is a chart-topping artist, whose hits include “Leave (Get Out)” and “Too Little Too Late.” She was the youngest solo artist capture first place on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40, and later won a 2020 Grammy for “Say So” with PJ Morton. She has also appeared on Broadway in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and originated the role of Tess in “Working Girl” at La Jolla Playhouse. JoJo has sold over 8 million albums worldwide. She became a New York Times bestselling author in 2024 with her memoir “Over the Influence.”
“Chess” is set in the height of the Cold War and follows two grandmasters, one American and the other Soviet, who become linked to the same woman, Florence, a chess prodigy. It struggled when it premiered on Broadway in 1988, debuting as the Soviet Union was starting to falter. At the time, many critics faulted its confusing plot. The revival has attempted to fix those problems, enlisting Emmy-winning “Dopesick” writer Danny Strong to cook up a new book. The show is still filled with bangers like “Nobody’s Side” and “One Night in Bangkok.” Its music and lyrics were by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice of “Evita” and “The Lion King” fame. The new production is directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (“Spring Awakening”). A new block of tickets will go on sale through September 13, 2026.
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