INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE     November 12, 2025               With the Broadway revival of "Chess" on the verge of a weekend opening, let's first look back at what it's reviving.   The above is our Playbill for the Original Broadway Production, from shortly before the show closed on June 25, 1988, after 17 previews and 68 performances at the Imperial Theatre.    Some of the lore about that has been overstated in the 37 years since.   This was not a case of a dreadful show getting axed on opening night, after the horrible reviews, with the ink still wet, arrived at Sardi's.    "Chess" ran more than two months. Make no mistake, that's a flop. So much more was expected of it, though, especially because it was a success in London before it came to New York. Abba's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote the music. Former Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborator Tim Rice provided the lyrics. The score -- previewed in a concept album -- was new songs, written for the theater.         From the "Chess" original Broadway soundtrack CD. From left: David Carroll as Anatoly, Judy Kuhn as Florence, Philip Casnoff as Freddie. Sadly, Carroll -- also kmown for playing the Baron in "Grand Hotel" -- died of AIDS-related complications at age 41 in 1992.      The official opening of the revival  is set for next Sunday, again at the Imperial Theatre.   The new production stars the formidable Lea Michelle, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher. It probably can be argued that the presence of Michelle, Broadway's top current draw, gives this a safety net the 1988 production didn't have.      Official "Chess" web site     In part because of word of mouth and enthusiastic internet reaction during the previews, which began October 15, the revival is a hot ticket. Its scheduled limited run already has been extended until May 3. But this also is illustrating that after its troublesome 1988 Broadway run, "Chess" became -- and remained -- a cult favorite of fans who mostly revered the music. I saw the original, and I've been part of the cult ever since.  The original Broadway leads -- David Carroll, Judy Kuhn and Phillip Casnoff -- never were considered among the show's problems. The original Broadway cast soundtrack remains both scarce and popular. Several concert versions have been mounted in New York and London. Josh Groban, Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal were the leads in the Royal Albert Hall concert version, released both on CD and DVD. Tim Rice was involved with that production and emphasized going in that it was more like the 1986 London stage production than the 1988 Broadway version. (Wise move.)   Attempts with non-Broadway productions have come with the expected disclaimers, in essence: Yes, "Chess" was a mess, but the music! We've tinkered and fixed the problems! Give it another try! That even was the sales pitch for the respected Arvada Center.   Also, other productions conceded that the changes in the show between London and New York were mistakes. That included a rewritten book and changing the show's approach from a rock opera in London to a more conventional dialogue / break-into-song musical in New York.   Nope, they couldn't leave well enough alone.     Now it's back in New York, at least for the limited run.    It's about damn time.              In June 1988, Helen and I for five years had been aking a summer trip to New York an annual rite.    I wasn't as fanatical as many of my sportswriter brethren in manipulating business travel itineraries to pile up Marriott points and airline miles to make otherwise ultra-expensive, vacation trips possible.    I did my part, though.      It was considered one of the perks of the business.   We annually ended up using the frequent traveler points to stay at a Marriott in Manhattan and go to one or two Broadway musicals or plays on each trip.    In advance of our 1988 trip, we bought tickets to the show that would become --and remain --  one of our favorites. That was "Les Miserables", and the story of my fascinarion with the show is here. Les Miz had been running in New York  for about a year. That's what we usually did -- buy tickets for one show in advance, then play the rest of the trip by ear, whether that meant going to the  show's box office or (more often) to the TKTS booth in Times Square, which sold discounted tickets for that day's Broadway performances.      I don't remember all the details, but I know we first saw "Les Miz" on the trip. Then I went through the TKTS line and was astounded to discover that half-price tickets for "Chess" were available. I jumped on them. We ended up in the balcony at the Imperial. We knew the show was about to close.      I had been indoctrinated. I knew that although "Chess" had done well in its 1986 run in London's West End, and the "One Night in Bangkok" cut from the concept album was a huge commercial hit. That day, I came to concede the critics weren't entirely wrong. The Cold War-driven book often was an absolute wince-inducing mess, coming off as a melodramatic satire in spots.          But the performances and especially the music were, well, magical.     One of the ironies is that Ulvaeus and Andersson essentially handed over the Abba catalog to creators of another show and wished them luck. The Swedes' names are on "Mamma Mia!" and it's their music, but the Chess experience apparently was frustrating and draining for Ulvaeus and Andersson. Catherine Johnson wrote "Mamma Mia!" the jukebox musical, around the Abba catalog.  . . and I assume the Swedes still are willing to watch the money keep rolling in. (Bonus points for recognizing that show reference.)   Over the years, my reaction is typical of those in the "Chess" cult.   Can anyone fix this?    I guess we're about to find out.    The reviews are in: The New York Times on the "Chess" revival.      Here's the "other" show from Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. In late 2001, I'm with the original Broadway stars of "Mamma Mia": Karen Mason, Louise Pitre and Judy Kaye. The original production of "Mamma Mia" ran for nearly 15 years. But it didn't go away quietly. A revival opened in August and is scheduled to run through February 1, 2026. The show also has been a warhorse on the road, passing through Denver several times.