In March, People announced that singer Joanna “JoJo” Levesque would take over the role of Florence Vassy from “Glee” star Lea Michele in the Broadway revival of “Chess” in June.
However, on May 26, producers announced the unexpected closure of the show via Instagram, with its final performance on June 21, marking Michele’s final appearance. The news blindsided fans of the Broadway revival, particularly the R&B singer, who was set to take on the role of Vassy from June 23 through September 13.
On Instagram, fans flooded the comment section with love and support for JoJo, who was excited about the new opportunity.
JoJo ‘Bummed’ After Unexpected Closure of Broadway Musical ‘Chess’
GettyJoJo is feeling heartbroken after producers shockingly announced that the Broadway musical revival “Chess” would be canceled with its final performance on June 21 in New York City. The singer was scheduled to replace Lea Michele as Florence Vassy just two days after the final show.
In fact, JoJo commented on the “Chess” Instagram post after the account @Broadwayworks wondered whether the singer would still get a chance to play Vassy as an alternate.
“i’m manifesting that jojo joins as the alternate for these last few weeks or something. she deserves some shows!!” The comment read.
JoJo replied to the comment, shockingly admitting that she was supposed to start rehearsals the same day as the announcement of the show’s closure. “@broadwayworks was supposed to start first day of rehearsals TODAY. so bummed. all my love to the company,” she wrote.
Fans flooded the comment section after learning that JoJo wouldn’t get a chance to star as Vassy. “UGH im so so sorry 🤍 we were so excited for u 😭😭 need you back on broadway,” a comment read. “so sorry girl 🥺 was legit gonna come just for you!! 💔💔💔💔,” another fan wrote.
“Moved our tickets to when she would be on. Devastating 😪,” a fan heartbreakingly shared.
Lea Michele Recommended JoJo for the Role
GettyIn a March interview with People, following the announcement that JoJo would succeed Michele as Vassy, she revealed that it was the “Glee” star who had actually recommended her for the role.
“[Lea] was super kind, embraced me and said that she had actually brought up my name [to producers], which I didn’t know,” she said. “So when they were looking for somebody to take over for her, she was like, ‘What about JoJo?’ And that was a beautiful thing to hear,” she added.
The singer also gushed about performing works by ABBA’s Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus, the men who originally composed the music for “Chess.”
“These guys are on some other level. I have so much respect for how difficult and ambitious it is to actually write a musical and tell these stories through song. It’s so amazing. I’ve fallen in love with these songs and the melodies, the lyrics, the combination of it all, it’s so beautiful,” she had shared.
Before the show was axed, JoJo also said how the part felt “incredibly right” for her, adding “it is definitely going to be a challenge, but something that I’m excited for.”
