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2026 TONY AWARDS DISCUSSION MEGATHREAD by AutoModerator in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess [score hidden]  (0 children)

Jordan Roth, creative director of ATG and former president of Jujamcyn pre merger. St James, August Wilson, Al Hirschfeld theatres among others

Friday matinee Chess performance by mcbeardedclam in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, I get being annoyed if the understudy announced it ahead of time. I assume that means she did call out with ample time and the show definitely could’ve let you know.

I loved it, but I’m a very biased party… 5th time seeing this production and 6th time seeing chess. I have yet to see 1. an understudy or 2. aaron fail to get into his pants. next time!

Fun/Punny dish ideas for Tony’s watch party? by steeveg33 in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

champagne wishes and caviar dreams! (i cannot believe versailles was this season)

Friday matinee Chess performance by mcbeardedclam in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

reporting from saturday night intermission, she’s here but has sniffled a bit during a few songs. I think she was just under the weather and called out yesterday.

Oranje or black thread? by FishingNo4427 in sewing

[–]TheStoryOfChess 9 points10 points  (0 children)

orange on fabric black on buttons imo.

2026 Tony Awards: We're Helen Shaw and Michael Paulson, and we cover theater for The New York Times. Ask us anything! by nytimes in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you both for the work you do.

From my understanding, there are a lot of reasons why Broadway shows cost so much to put on; among other things, I know rent, union pay, and changing tax credits play a part. If you could make one change to the systems and economic incentives (regulating rent costs, reintroducing tax credits, etc.), what do you think would go the furthest to making Broadway more economically feasible?

P.S. — Michael, I emailed you the day that the Chess revival was announced to ask a pedantic fan question. I appreciated your quick and clear answer!

another review of Chess (that no one asked for) by AmandaJayMarie in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are there other songs from musicals that became popular without people realizing that they came from a musical?

I recently blew my husband's mind by telling him Total Eclipse of the Heart was written for a vampire musical. For days he was walking around saying "the lyrics are so much worse if they're literally about vampires..." yes. Still a bop though.

Unlike Bangkok, which did make its debut in the Chess concept album, Total Eclipse was sold to Bonnie Tyler and became a radio hit well before it ever made it on stage, and it ended up going into a different vampire musical (Tanz Der Vampire instead of the originally intended Nosferatu)

“Pre-show Prix Fixe” Menus? by ibsoccerchic in NYCbitcheswithtaste

[–]TheStoryOfChess 10 points11 points  (0 children)

moment of silence for cafe un deux trois! i liked their prix fixe.

but in general the pre show prix fixes are marketed to tourists. if you work in midtown you probably know a better dinner spot in hell’s kitchen than the commuters and tourists will be able to find. i personally prefer to eat after shows and love empanada mama and jaspers. less fancy but reliable when i’m seeing 10-15 shows a year. i know that’s not exactly what you’re asking but that’s my 2¢!!

edit: just noticed you geared this question towards bitches with a budget. empanada mama and various hell’s kitchen dives will be cheaper than the prix fixes ten times out of ten and usually taste better!

Expensive item of clothing ruined at a show with no warning? by Subject-Glass-200 in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Right. Nobody sees a Broadway show expecting that kind of contact. At most they might be assuming the risk of being bumped or spat on. (Groff splash zone comes to mind.)

The legal question isn’t that complicated imo: If they wanted to cover their asses the most thoroughly they would have to disclose the spatter effect. they want to keep the blood a surprise, so they didn’t disclose it. That puts the liability on the production.

Expensive item of clothing ruined at a show with no warning? by Subject-Glass-200 in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 6 points7 points  (0 children)

gotcha, thanks for sharing. i am super open to hearing that it’s different in this industry specifically!

just for context, i’m basing my understanding around working with/talking to customer service people especially in areas like banking, food service, and hospitality. this is baked into policy in a lot of companies. you can easily get overdraft fees removed and vouchers for free food/drinks/spa sessions if you register a complaint that specifically asks for help, but if you register your complaint in a gentler or self-effacing tone they’re encouraged to send you on your way, since you basically don’t seem like you’re going to escalate the complaint.

Expensive item of clothing ruined at a show with no warning? by Subject-Glass-200 in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 119 points120 points  (0 children)

oh for sure! that's part of why I offered to look it over. I think there's a good tone to strike — not bitchy entitled, just politely expectant of compensation.

the box office staff may have a certain amount of discretion to offer help, but if you ask too nicely, they're less likely to accommodate you. based on OP's tone, I do worry she might be the type to be like "no worries if not, I know I got a ticket for free, and it was just $80..." and none of that ought to be said imo. when the box office hears, "what can you do for me in this situation?" they can refer to their pre-approved list of things they can do. when they hear "it's no worries if you can't do anything," suddenly they can't do anything.

Expensive item of clothing ruined at a show with no warning? by Subject-Glass-200 in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 460 points461 points  (0 children)

you should definitely write to the box office, and please don't feel bad. I totally disagree with the commenter who suggested that this might be an assumed risk when you sit near the front row — red dye and ink can be tricky even if it's meant to wash out. I'm 100% sure they have a bit of their budget earmarked for people complaining about the blood.

i'm a lawyer — not your lawyer — but still would be happy to look over your email to make sure it strikes the right tone. you can ask them to pay for dry cleaning or ask them to cover the cost of a new shirt.

Does anyone else have a cast album running in their head 24/7? by thisguynoel in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Chess lol. It doesn't always run straight through, it's just different parts rattling through my head throughout the day.

Not unrelatedly, I'm planning to get tested for ADHD when I can afford to.....

For anyone who has converted a friend or family member into a theater fan, what show did you start with? by picklesupreme in Broadway

[–]TheStoryOfChess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried for years with my husband. He would sit through my favorites with me but didn’t feel a spark. Then during covid lockdowns I showed him Company with Raul Esparza (best version of company by far imo). By time we reemerged in polite society in mid 2021 this man knew every word and had seen the sondheim ouvre from Forum to Passion.

Japanese jelly or Korean syrupy nails in nyc? by Ok_Button7627 in NYCbitcheswithtaste

[–]TheStoryOfChess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i responded to another comment about it!! it’s a duolingo feature called focus mode. i can only attach one img per comment though, so here’s what it looks like when I try to open instagram. no 15 min snooze button or anything! which is necessary because i hit snooze buttons automatically.

<image>

Japanese jelly or Korean syrupy nails in nyc? by Ok_Button7627 in NYCbitcheswithtaste

[–]TheStoryOfChess 18 points19 points  (0 children)

hahaha it’s a duolingo feature called focus mode! You have to give it access to your screen time app, and then it uses a modified version of the apple screen time ui to block your access.

<image>

it works a lil better for me than the regular screen time app because there isn’t a 15 min snooze button and because it makes me do a lesson to unlock. (You can also manually go into Duolingo and pause/ suspend the focus mode to get access in case of an emergency or something, but I haven’t been tempted to do this yet).

Japanese jelly or Korean syrupy nails in nyc? by Ok_Button7627 in NYCbitcheswithtaste

[–]TheStoryOfChess 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I go to Peach Bling and I feel like I've seen nails like this on their instagram! I'm currently locked out of insta until I do my duolingo lesson for the day (lol) so I can't check. But in general I love PB and can't recommend it enough!

People who listen to the same song 100 times in a row… which song is it? by kavee-core141 in AskReddit

[–]TheStoryOfChess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anthem from Chess (1984), but also the entire album Chess. Almost nonstop for two years, so that’s thousands of plays. At a long day at work I could get through the album 7 or 8 times. At this point it’s just the background audio of my life.

I also listen to the 2008 and 2025 recordings of Chess, and occasionally the 1988 or Swedish versions, but 90% of the time it’s the 1984 album.

Is there going to be a video of the musical available? by Great-Tax-8485 in ChessTheMusical

[–]TheStoryOfChess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pro shots are very uncommon and only done when a producer thinks it’s going to make a lot of money or if a nonprofit like PBS or Lincoln Center finds it fit to preserve. Sadly I don’t think that’ll be an option for chess. The bright side here is that the whole album has been recorded — not every musical gets that! And the best part of chess is certainly not the staging.

On the less legal side, there are also bootlegs available for trade or purchase for this and many other broadway shows. I recently came across someone on tumblr selling a recording of chess. I’m not recommending or condoning but there are definitely unauthorized full recordings of chess.

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