JoJo Caught Off Guard as Broadway's 'Chess' Announces Closing Just Hours Before Her Rehearsal Start

Broadway's Chess is shutting down in June, and the timing couldn't have been more jarring for JoJo. The 35-year-old "Too Little, Too Late" artist was announced back in March to step into the role of Florence Vassy, taking over from Lea Michele following her final bow on June 21.

The singer had been looking forward to her Broadway comeback, sharing clips from Chicago's Forever Mine Festival on Instagram just yesterday. In her post, she called the experience her "last show before I go into Chess. Very different worlds that I'm so lucky I get to inhabit."

Then came the shock.

When word of the musical's closure hit, JoJo took to Instagram to respond to a comment from @BroadwayWorks, which had expressed hope that she might still get to perform in the show's final weeks as an alternate.

"Was suppose to start first day of rehearsals TODAY. So bummed. All my love to the company," she wrote, revealing that she had been scheduled to begin rehearsals on the very day the announcement was made. The exact timing of when she learned about the closure remains unclear.

The acclaimed musical will wrap up its Broadway run in June, with Lea Michele performing through its final performances. Tickets for the remaining shows are available through ChessBroadway.com.