Lea Michele is back on Broadway in the revival of Chess and she received support from her BFF Jonathan Groff at the opening night performance!

The longtime friends and former Spring Awakening co-stars posed for photos backstage after the opening night show on Sunday (November 16) at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.

Lea took her opening bows that night with co-stars Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher. Watch a video of the curtain call below!

Variety raved about Lea‘s performance, noting that she “is an undeniable grandmaster, with the rare combination of perfect technique, clarion tone, vocal power, and exemplary emoting skills. This performance solidifies that Michele is back on Broadway, hopefully for a long time — and we are certainly lucky to have her.”

At the opening night party, Lea met up with her former Glee castmate Becca Tobin and original Chess actress Judy Kuhn.

Buy your tickets now to see Chess on Broadway!

FYI: Aaron is wearing Todd Snyder.

Lea Michele‘s big return to Broadway is just days away and we just got a peek inside the rehearsal room ahead of the first performances of Chess.

The Emmy-nominated actress will star in the revival of the classic musical alongside Tony winner Aaron Tveit and rising star Nicholas Christopher. Check out all of the photos in the gallery!

Chess is a seductive showdown of love, loyalty, and power on a global stage. As two of the greatest chess players in the world compete for something beyond victory, the woman between them is caught in a high-stakes battle of desire and devotion.

The 2025 production features a new book by Emmy Award winner Danny Strong, with music and lyrics by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and EGOT winner Tim Rice.

Tickets are on sale now ahead of the first performance on October 15.

We’re getting closer and closer to the return of Chess on Broadway and the cast is deep into the rehearsal process right now!

Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher took a break from rehearsals to participate in a press day on Thursday (September 25) at Dear Irving Broadway in New York City.

They were joined by supporting castmates Bradley Dean, Hannah Cruz, Sean Allan Krill, and Bryce Pinkham.

In a recent interview, Lea explained why she needed to make the return to Broadway in this specific show.

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