JoJo was all set to make her big Broadway comeback – and then the curtain dropped before rehearsals even began.
The singer, best known for early-2000s heartbreak anthem Too Little Too Late, revealed she was supposed to start rehearsals for Chess the very same day producers announced the show would close early.
“Was supposed to start first day of rehearsals TODAY,” JoJo commented under the production’s Instagram post. “So bummed. all my love to the company.”
Honestly? Broadway can be more dramatic backstage than the actual script sometimes.
The musical – which centers around a Cold War-era love triangle involving rival chess champions – will officially wrap on June 21, the same night Lea Michele exits the production. JoJo has been scheduled to step into the role of Florence Vassy just two days later.
To announce the closure, the show quoted one of its own lyrics on Instagram: “Nothing is so good, it lasts eternally.” Brutal timing, but very theater-kid poetic.
Just days earlier, JoJo had been hyping up the role after performing at Chicago’s Forever Mine Mucis Festival.
“Love you Chicago!!!!” she wrote online. “Thanks to @foreverminefest for being my last show before I go into @chessbway. very different worlds that I’m so lucky I get to inhabit. Xx”
The role would have marked another milestone in JoJo’s growing Broadway résumé after earning praise for her performances in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
“It’s an incredible, exciting opportunity,” she previously said about joining Chess. “As soon as I got to see this production of the show, I couldn’t stop getting chills.”
Unfortunately, this time the chills came with a closing notice attached.
2026-05-28 11:52:00
