“Chess”' Hannah Cruz Used a Secret Broadway Tunnel to Sneak Visits with Husband Edred Utomi Between Shows (Exclusive)

Dave QuinnMon, June 1, 2026 at 8:55 PM UTC

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Edred Utomi and Hannah Cruz at the 10th anniversary performance of 'Hamilton' on Aug. 6, 2025
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage -

Hannah Cruz discovered a hidden passageway connecting two Broadway theaters, introduced to her by Lin-Manuel Miranda

The actress and her husband Edred Utomi met on the Hamilton tour in 2018 and married in August 2024

Cruz is nominated for her first Tony Award for her role in Chess and credits Utomi for his unwavering support

For Hannah Cruz, Broadway's best-kept secret wasn't a role, a rehearsal room or even a backstage shortcut.

It was a tunnel.

The actress — who received a Tony Award nomination for her featured performance in Chess — tells PEOPLE that she used a hidden passageway connecting theaters on West 46th Street to steal moments with her husband, fellow Broadway star Edred Utomi.

"We met doing the Hamilton tour in 2018," Cruz, 33, says. "He was a standby and I was Eliza. And then he took over for Hamilton and we fell in love on stage every night."

The couple officially started dating in 2021 and married in August 2024. This season they found themselves working just steps away from one another; Utomi, 34, was starring as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre while Cruz appeared eight shows a week at the neighboring Imperial Theatre in Chess.

Edred Utomi and Hannah Cruz at the 2026 Drama League Awards on May 15, 2026
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Their close proximity became even more convenient after an unexpected assist from Hamiltion creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

"So Utomi was doing Hamilton. And one day Lin came to the theater and showed me this tunnel that links the Rodgers and the Imperial," Cruz recalls. "It's probably more of an alleyway, now that I'm thinking about it. But it's perfect because it spits me out right on stage right wing of the Rodgers."

Miranda even accompanied her on her first visit.

"Lin took me under there one night and it was 'Schuyler Sisters,'" she says. "My husband happened to be standing right in that stage right wing watching and we tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around and it was his wife and Lin-Manuel Miranda and he was like, 'What the hell is going on here?' "

"It was the most Broadway thing to ever happen to anyone," she adds with a laugh.

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After that, Cruz frequently used the passageway to pop over and see her husband between performances.

"I would do that frequently," she recalls. "He just finished his run in May, but when he was on, I would go through the tunnel so that way, we could just sneak out the Rodgers. It's easier than sneaking out of the Imperial!"

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Hannah Cruz attends the 2026 Tony Awards 'Meet the Nominees' event on May 14, 2026
Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty

These days, Cruz is focused on a milestone of her own. The actress earned her first Tony nomination this year. "I can't believe it," she says. "I'm still pinching myself."

In Chess, the actress plays Svetlana, the wife of Soviet chess champion Anatoly Sergievsky (Nicholas Christopher), whose marriage is upended when he falls in love with American chess second Florence Vassy (Lea Michele) during a high-stakes international tournament set against the backdrop of the Cold War.

Though much of the musical centers on the romance between Anatoly and Florence, Cruz's nuanced performance gives voice to the woman caught in the middle, bringing heartbreak and unexpected complexity to a character who could easily be overlooked.

Hannah Cruz in 'Chess' on Broadway
Credit: Matthew Murphy

Asked what she loves most about the role, Cruz says the character gives her a rare opportunity to reinvent her performance every night.

"I love how malleable she is," Cruz says. "I have the distinct pleasure of getting to change what I do every night. I get to change my intention nightly. The words stay the same. The music all remains the same, but whether or not she loves Anatoly and that dial on her mania and her anger gets to change."

"And so I get to go to work every day and make a decision as to what the audience is going to get that night and where Svetlana is going to fit into the story," she continues. "It's kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure thing, which those are my favorite books growing up."

The role also allows Cruz to perform one of the musical's most beloved songs, "I Know Him So Well," alongside Michele.

"One, singing with Lea is beyond, beyond, beyond," Cruz says. "I've been listening to her since I was in high school, so I know what she sounds like. So I feel like our mix and our blend is really good."

"And it's such a juicy song to sing in that it's not super high," she adds. "So I can sit in a nice part of my voice that I don't normally get to play in. And it's a beautiful song. I'm thrilled to sing it every day."

As she celebrates her first Tony nomination, Cruz says she couldn't have reached this moment without Utomi by her side.

"Oh my God. Truly, I could not do this without him," she says. "Even this morning was so early and he woke up to make sure I had a coffee and to make sure my clothes were ready and hung up."

"He takes care of our cat, Svetlana, when I'm not home," she adds, laughing at the coincidence of her pet sharing a name with her character. "So I really couldn't do this without him. He is the biggest support I could ever ask for."

Tickets for Chess are on sale now through June 21. The 2026 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. The show will be broadcast live to both coasts on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and will stream on Paramount+.

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