''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. He is one of a handful of people to win Emmy Awards, Emmy, Grammy Awards, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar, and Tony Awards, Tony awards, a feat ...

, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and

Nicholas Dante Nicholas Dante (November 22, 1941 – May 21, 1991
from '' ...

. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

dancers auditioning for spots on a

chorus line A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. While synchronized dancing indicative of a chorus line was vogue during the first half of th ...

. ''A Chorus Line'' provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer, as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. Following several workshops and an

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production, ''A Chorus Line'' opened at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway July 25, 1975, directed by Michael Bennett and co-choreographed by Bennett and

Bob Avian Robert Avedisian (December 26, 1937 – January 21, 2021), professionally known as Bob Avian, was an American choreographer, theatrical producer and director. Biography Born in New York City to an Armenian family in December 1937, Avian spent h ...

. An unprecedented box office and critical hit, the musical received twelve

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations and won nine, in addition to the 1976

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

. The original Broadway production ran for 6,137 performances, becoming the longest-running production in Broadway history until surpassed by ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' in 1997, and the longest-running Broadway musical originally produced in the US, until surpassed in 2011 by the revival of ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

''. It remains the seventh longest-running Broadway show ever. ''A Chorus Line''s success has spawned many successful productions worldwide. It began a lengthy run in the West End in 1976 winning the

Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards i ...

and was revived on Broadway in 2006, and in the West End in 2013.

Synopsis

The show opens during an audition for an upcoming Broadway production. The formidable director Zach and his assistant choreographer Larry put the 24 dancers through their paces. Every dancer is desperate for work ("I Hope I Get It"). After a round of cuts, 17 dancers remain. Zach tells them he is looking for a strong 8-member dancing chorus of four boys and four girls. Wanting to learn more about them, he asks the dancers to introduce themselves. Reluctantly, the dancers reveal their pasts. The stories generally progress chronologically from early life experiences through adulthood to their chosen career. The first candidate, Mike Costa, explains that he is the youngest of 12 children. He recalls his first experience with dance, watching his sister Rosalie's dance class when he was a preschooler ("I Can Do That"). Mike replaced her one day when she refused to go to class—and he stayed. Bobby Mills tries to hide his unhappy childhood by making jokes. As he speaks, the other dancers distrust this strange audition process and debate what they should reveal to Zach ("And..."), but since they all need the job, the session continues. Zach is angered that the streetwise Sheila Bryant is seemingly not taking the audition seriously. Opening up, she reveals that her mother married at a young age and her father neither cared about nor loved them. At age six she realized, as had fellow auditionees Bebe Benzenheimer and Maggie Winslow, that ballet helped her escape her unhappy family life ("At the Ballet"). Scatterbrained and

tone-deaf ''Tone-Deaf'' is a 2019 American comedy horror film written and directed by Richard Bates Jr. and starring Robert Patrick and Amanda Crew with Ronnie Gene Blevins, Hayley Marie Norman, Johnny Pemberton, Kim Delaney and Ray Wise. Patrick also ...

Kristine Urich-DeLuca laments being unable to sing, while her husband Al finishes her phrases in tune ("Sing!"). Mark Anthony, the youngest dancer, relates his first exposure to the male and female anatomy and his first

wet dream A wet dream, sex dream, or sleep orgasm, is a spontaneous occurrence of sexual arousal during sleep that includes ejaculation (nocturnal emission) and orgasm for a male, and vaginal lubrication and/or orgasm for a female. Context Nocturnal emis ...

, and the Connie Wong laments the problems of being short, while the other dancers share their own memories of adolescence ("Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love"). Diana Morales recollects her horrible high school acting class ( "Nothing"). Don Kerr remembers his first job at a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

and Judy Turner reflects on her problematic childhood while some auditioners talk about their parents' opinions ("Mother"). Greg Gardner discusses discovering his homosexuality and Richie Walters recounts nearly becoming a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

teacher ("Gimme the Ball"). Finally, the newly-

buxom {{Short pages monitor, Richie, Val, Mark, and Diana. "One" (Reprise/Finale) begins with an individual bow for each of the 19 characters, their hodgepodge rehearsal clothes replaced by identical spangled gold costumes. As each dancer joins the group, it is suddenly difficult to distinguish one from the other: ironically, each character who was an individual to the audience seems now to be an anonymous member of a never-ending ensemble.

Musical numbers

* "

I Hope I Get It "I Hope I Get It" is a song from the musical ''A Chorus Line''. Production ''A Chorus Line'' premiered Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in May 1975. The musical moved to Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguatio ...

" – Company * " I Can Do That" – Mike * "And..." – Bobby, Richie, Val, and Judy * " At the Ballet" – Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie * "

Sing! To sing is to produce musical sounds with a voice. Sing may also refer to: Film * ''Sing'' (1989 film), an American musical drama film following a fictional SING! production in New York City * ''Sing!'' (2001 film), a 2001 American documentary ...

" – Kristine, Al, and Company * "Montage Part 1: Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love" – Mark, Connie, and Company * "Montage Part 2:

Nothing Nothing, no-thing, or no thing is the complete absence of ''anything'', as the opposite of ''something'' and an antithesis of everything. The concept of nothing has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BCE. Ea ...

" – Diana * "Montage Part 3: Mother" – Don, Judy, Maggie, and Company * "Montage Part 4: Gimme the Ball" – Greg, Richie, and Company * "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" – Val * "The Music and the Mirror" – Cassie * "

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

" – Company * "The Tap Combination" – Company * " What I Did for Love" – Diana and Company * "One (Reprise)/Finale" – Company

Original cast album

The

original cast album A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the sho ...

was Issued by Columbia Records (PS33581).

Charts

Notable casts

Production history

The musical was formed from several taped workshop sessions with Broadway dancers, known as "gypsies," including eight who eventually appeared in the original cast. The sessions were originally hosted by dancers Michon Peacock and Tony Stevens. The first taped session occurred at the Nickolaus Exercise Center on January 26, 1974. They hoped that they would form a professional dance company to make workshops for Broadway dancers. Michael Bennett was invited to join the group primarily as an observer, but quickly took control of the proceedings. Although Bennett's involvement has been challenged, there has been no question about Kirkwood and Dante's authorship. In later years, Bennett's claim that ''A Chorus Line'' had been his brainchild resulted not only in hard feelings but a number of lawsuits as well. During the workshop sessions, random characters would be chosen at the end for the chorus jobs based on their performance quality, resulting in a different "cast" being selected every run-through. However, several of the costumers objected to this ending, citing the stress of having to change random actors in time for the finale. This resulted in the ending being cut in exchange for the same set of characters being "cast."McKay, William.
"Michael Bennett's ''A Chorus Line''"
Musicals101.com. 1998. Retrieved August 14, 2008. Marvin Hamlisch, who wrote ''A Chorus Line''s score, recalled how, during the first previews, audiences seemed put off by something in the story. This problem was solved when actress

Marsha Mason Marsha Mason (born April 3, 1942) is an American actress and theatre director. She has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in '' Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), '' The Goodbye Girl'' (1977), '' Chap ...

told Bennett that Cassie ( Donna McKechnie in the original production) should win the part in the end because she did everything right. Bennett changed it so that Cassie would always win the part.

Original production

''A Chorus Line'' opened

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

on April 15, 1975. At the time, the Public did not have enough money to finance the production so it borrowed $1.6 million to produce the show. The show was directed by Bennett and co-choreographed by Bennett and Bob Avian. Advance word had created such a demand for tickets that the entire run sold out immediately. Producer

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp is a pioneering figure in American theater, known for creating Shakespeare in the Park, which aimed to make classi ...

moved the production to

and on July 25, 1975, it opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 6,137 performances until April 28, 1990. Additional cast members Carole Schweid and John Mineo were understudies named "Barbara" and "Jarad", although they only went on covering other roles. Also, Tim Cassidy was an understudy for "Bobby" but was not in the original cast and didn’t join the Broadway cast until after several of the originals opened the LA and London companies. The production was nominated for 12

s, winning nine: Best Musical, Best Musical Book, Best Score (Hamlisch and Kleban), Best Director, and Best Choreography, Best Actress (McKechnie), Best Featured Actor (Sammy Williams), Best Featured Actress (Bishop) and Best Lighting Design. The show won the 1976

, one of the few musicals ever to receive this honor, swept nearly all the main categories at the 1976

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, and the

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 23 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jon ...

Award for Best Play of the season. In 1976, many of the original cast went on to perform in San Francisco. Open roles were recast and the play was again reviewed as the ''"New" New York Company'' which included

Ann Reinking Ann Reinking (November 10, 1949December 12, 2020) was an American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. She worked predominantly in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as ''Coco'' (1969), '' Over Here!'' (1974), ''Goodti ...

Sandahl Bergman Sandahl Bergman is an American former actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Valeria in the film ''Conan the Barbarian'' (1982), for which she won a Golden Globe and a Saturn Award. Early life Bergman was born 14 November 19 ...

Christopher Chadman Christopher Chadman (born circa 1948 – April 30, 1995) was an American dancer and choreographer who was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards and was the winner of the Fred Astaire Award for his choreography for the 19 ...

, Justin Ross (who would go on to appear in the film), and

Barbara Luna Barbara Ann Luna (born 2 March 1938), also stylized as BarBara Luna, is an American actress from film, television and musicals. Notable roles include Makia in '' Five Weeks in a Balloon'' and Lt. Marlena Moreau in the classic ''Star Trek'' episo ...

. When it closed, ''A Chorus Line'' was the longest running show in Broadway history until its record was surpassed by ''

'' in 1997. On September 29, 1983, Bennett and 332 ''A Chorus Line'' veterans gathered to celebrate the musical becoming the longest-running show in Broadway history. Up to February 19, 1990, ''A Chorus Line'' had generated $146 million from its Broadway gross and $277 million in total U.S. grosses and had 6.5 million Broadway attendees. At the time, it was the second most profitable show in Broadway history after ''Cats'' with profits of $50 million (including ancillary income). 75% of the profits went to Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival and 25% to Bennett's Plum Productions. Since its inception, the show's many worldwide productions, both professional and amateur, have been a major source of income for The Public Theater that Papp had founded.

Subsequent productions

U.S. and international tours were mounted in 1976, including a sit-down engagement in Los Angeles at the Shubert Theatre. A London production opened in the West End at the

Theatre Royal Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

in 1976, initially with the International Cast from the US, including Jane Summerhays as Sheila. The production ran for three years and won the

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

as Best Musical of the Year in 1976, the first year the awards were presented. The original British cast took over in 1977. It included

Jean-Pierre Cassel Jean-Pierre Cassel (; born Jean-Pierre Crochon; 27 October 1932 – 19 April 2007) was a French actor and dancer. A popular star of French cinema, he was initially known for his comedy film appearances, though he also proved a gifted dramatic a ...

as Zach,

Diane Langton Diane Shirley Maria Langton (31 May 1944 – 15 January 2025) was a British actress, singer and dancer whose career on stage and screen spanned six decades. After beginning her career in theatre, she went on to appear in television shows, portr ...

as Diana Morales,

Jeff Shankley Jeffrey Richard Shankley (born 17 November 1947) is a British actor, singer and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company who has had a long career as a television and stage actor particularly in the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber for who ...

as Al,

Michael Staniforth Michael Peter Staniforth (15 December 1942 – 31 July 1987), born in Selly Oak, Birmingham, was a British stage actor. Life Staniforth's father was a sergeant major in the Army and so Michael's childhood was spent with his family in Germany, ...

as Paul,

Stephen Tate Stephen Tate is a British actor and musical theatre artist. Career Television He is possibly best known for his recurring role as Alan in the 1970s television drama ''Survivors'' and as Dick Meyer in the 1980s comedy drama '' Big Deal'' alongs ...

as Greg (later replacing Cassel as Zach) and Geraldine Gardner (aka Trudi van Doorn of ''

The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...

'') as Sheila.

Elizabeth Seal Elizabeth Anne Seal (born 28 August 1933) is a British actress. In 1961, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role of '' Irma La Douce''. Career Elizabeth Seal made her professional de ...

was cast as Cassie but was replaced at the eleventh hour by her understudy Petra Siniawski who played the role for the entire British cast run. The original Australian production opened in Sydney at

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

in May 1977 and moved to Melbourne's

in January 1978. The cast featured

Peta Toppano Peita Margaret Toppano (born 1951) known as Peta Toppano is a British-born Australian actress, singer and dancer. She is most widely known for her roles in television soap opera's including '' The Young Doctors'' as Dr. Gail Henderson, ''Prisone ...

as Diana,

David Atkins David Atkins, OAM (born 12 December 1955) is an Australian dancer, choreographer, music-theatre director and producer. Career Stage and television Atkins began his performance career aged 12 with a role in the musical ''Mame''. As an adult ...

as Mike, and Ross Coleman as Paul. In 1980, under the direction of Roy Smith, the Teatro El Nacional of Buenos Aires produced a Spanish version of ''A Chorus Line'' lasting 10 months (and then only to make way for an already scheduled subsequent production). In Spain the show opened in December 1984 at Teatre Tívoli in Barcelona, directed by Roy Smith and translated into Spanish by Nacho Artime and Jaime Azpilicueta, before transferring to Teatro Monumental in Madrid. In July 1986, ''A Chorus Line'' was produced in Italy for the first time. It premiered at the Nervi Festival of Dance in

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, followed by a five-week Italian tour. The choreography was adapted for the festival's performing space by

Baayork Lee Baayork Lee (born December 5, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, choreographer, theatre director, and author. Early life and career Lee was born in New York City's Chinatown, to an Indian mother and Chinese father. She started danci ...

who had played Connie in the original production and subsequently became a close collaborator of Michael Bennett, the original choreographer. The German-language version was again directed by Lee and first opened in 1987 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, where it ran for one season followed by the German-language CD release produced by Jimmy Bowien in 1988. The first—and as of 2016 only—professional Hungarian production of the musical opened its limited run on March 25, 1988, under the title ' (''In Memory of Michael Bennett''). It was performed by Ódry Színpad (the company of the

Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest The Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest (, SZFE) is an educational institution founded in 1865 in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Hungary. It became a university in 2000 and the name was changed to University of Theatre and Film Arts ...

) translated into Hungarian by György Gebora, and directed by Imre Kerényi. The character Zach was renamed Michael and played by Kerényi. The 2006 Broadway revival opened at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater on October 5, 2006, following a run in San Francisco. The revival closed on August 17, 2008, after 759 performances and 18 previews. It cost $8 million to finance and recouped its investment in 19 weeks. The production was directed by

, with the choreography reconstructed by Baayork Lee, who had played Connie Wong in the original Broadway production. The opening night cast included Paul McGill,

Michael Berresse Michael Berresse (born August 15, 1964) is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and director. Life and career Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, but reared primarily in Joliet, Illinois, Berresse's father was a chemical engineer and his moth ...

Charlotte d'Amboise Charlotte Lorraine d'Amboise (born May 11, 1964) is an American actress and dancer. She has played starring roles in musical theatre, and has been nominated for two Tony Awards and won the Los Angeles Ovation Awards for Best Leading Actress in ...

Mara Davi Mara Davi (born January 22, 1984, Alameda County, California) is an American actress, singer, and dancer; she made her Broadway debut as Maggie Winslow in the 2006 revival of ''A Chorus Line''. Biography Mara Davi grew up in Highlands Ranch, Col ...

James T. Lane James T. Lane (born December 25, 1977) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He made his Broadway debut with the 2006 revival of ''A Chorus Line'', playing Richie Walters. After that, Lane joined the cast of ''Chicago (musical), Chicago: The ...

Tony Yazbeck Tony Yazbeck (born March 14, 1979) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage, including the revival of ''On the Town (musical), On the Town'', for which he received 2015 Tony Awards, Tony Award and Ou ...

, Heather Parcells,

Alisan Porter Alisan Leigh Porter (born June 20, 1981) is an American pop, rock & country singer, actress, and dancer. As a child, Porter made acting appearances in '' Parenthood'', '' Stella'' and '' I Love You to Death''. Her breakout role came in 1991, wh ...

, Jason Tam,

Jessica Lee Goldyn Jessica Lee Goldyn (born December 26, 1985) is an American musical theatre actress, singer, and dancer best known for creating the role of Val in the Broadway revival of ''A Chorus Line''. Goldyn played the lead role of Cassie from August 10, 2008 ...

, Deidre Goodwin, and Chryssie Whitehead. On April 15, 2008,

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway theatre, Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on ''Saved by the Bell'', ''S ...

joined the cast as the replacement for Zach. The production was the subject of the documentary film ''

Every Little Step "Every Little Step" is a 1989 single by American singer Bobby Brown, written by L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and released by MCA Records. Released as the fourth single on his second album '' Don't Be Cruel'' it reached number three ...

''. The production received two Tony Award nominations in 2007 for Featured Role (Charlotte d'Amboise) and Revival (Musical)."TonyAwards.com – The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards – Official Website by IBM"
TonyAwards.com. Retrieved August 14, 2008. The original contract for ''A Chorus Line'' provided for sharing the revenue from the show with the directors and dancers that had attended the original workshop sessions. However, the contract did not specify revenue when the musical was revived in 2006. In February 2008, an agreement was reached between the dancers and Michael Bennett's estate. A 2008 U.S. touring production opened on May 4, 2008, at the

Denver Center for the Performing Arts The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the communi ...

and toured through June 2009. This production featured Michael Gruber as Zach,

Nikki Snelson Nikki Snelson (born Nicole Snelson) is an American actress, who works mainly in stage musicals. Biography Snelson is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and received her training at the Boston Conservatory. Snelson’s first major role on Broadwa ...

as Cassie, Emily Fletcher as Sheila, and

Gabrielle Ruiz Gabrielle Ruiz (born December 12, 1984) is an American actress best known for playing the role of Valencia Perez on The CW musical comedy-drama series '' Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. Prior to ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'', she performed in several Broadway ...

as Diana. In 2012, the musical toured Australia, gaining much critical acclaim.

directed the production and it gained many nominations, including Helpmann nominations for Best Actress in a Musical for West End star,

Anita Louise Combe Anita Louise Combe is an Australian actress, singer, dancer who has worked extensively in the entertainment industry all around the world. Combe attended the Gwen Mackay School of Dancing and trained in the Cechetti method of ballet with Jenni ...

playing Cassie, Best supporting Actress in a musical, Deborah Krizak and Best supporting Actor in a musical, Euan Doidge and it won best musical. The same production and cast then came to Singapore, playing at the

Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands is a integrated resort fronting Marina Bay, Singapore, Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at Singapore dollar, S$8&nbs ...

, Sands Theater from May 4 to 27, 2012. The show returned to London for a West End revival in February 2013 at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

, running through August of that year. It was directed by original choreographer

, with John Partridge, Scarlett Strallen, and

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (born 8 May 1982) is an English actress and singer known primarily for her roles in musical theatre. She is a Grammy Award, two-time Laurence Olivier Award, and four-time WhatsOnStage Award nominee. Background Hamilto ...

starring.

is reprising his Broadway role and Leigh Zimmerman won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Sheila in this production. Producers announced on June 9, 2013, that the London revival cast would record a new cast album featuring never-before-heard songs which were written for the show but never made the final cut. In 2015, the Original Broadway cast of ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

'' paid tribute to ''A Chorus Line'' 40th anniversary and performed "What I Did For Love", with the original cast of ''A Chorus Line'' joining them onstage. Reports surfaced in June 2016 that a second Broadway revival is planned for 2025, in honor of the show's 50th anniversary. For its annual fully staged musical event, the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

produced a limited run of A Chorus Line from July 29–31, 2016, directed and choreographed by

. The cast included

Sabrina Bryan Reba Sabrina Hinojosa (born September 16, 1984), known professionally as Sabrina Bryan, is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She is best known as a member of the girl group the Cheetah Girls, starring in the Disney Channe ...

as Valerie Clark,

Robert Fairchild Robbie Fairchild (born June 9, 1987) is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical ''An American in Paris'', and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film ''Cats''. He was a principal dancer at th ...

as Mike Costa, Spencer Liff as Larry,

Ross Lynch Ross Shor Lynch (born December 29, 1995) is an American actor and singer. He was the lead vocalist of the pop rock band R5 and is one half of the band the Driver Era (with his brother Rocky Lynch). As an actor, he rose to recognition for his ...

as Mark Anthony,

as Maggie Winslow, J. Elaine Marcos as Connie Wong, Jason Tam as Paul San Marco, Leigh Zimmerman as Sheila Bryant,

as Zach, Sarah Bowden as Cassie Ferguson,

Krysta Rodriguez Krysta Anne Rodriguez is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Ana Vargas in the NBC series '' Smash'', Summer Henderson in the NBC series '' Trial & Error'', Maxine Griffin in the ABC series '' Quantico'' and Ms. C ...

as Diana Morales, and Courtney Lopez as Kristine Ulrich. In 2016, approval was granted to director

Donna Feore Donna Feore (née Starnes, born June 20, 1963) is a Canadian choreographer and theatre director, most noted for her work with the National Arts Centre and the Stratford Festival. Early life Donna Starnes was born in Dawson Creek, British Colum ...

to allow changes in choreography so the show could be performed for the first time on a

thrust stage In theatre, a thrust stage (a platform stage or open stage) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the ...

, in the Festival Theatre at the

Stratford Festival of Canada The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

. In 2018,

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

presented ''A Chorus Line'' as their annual gala presentation. The production was directed by

, co-choreographer of the original 1975 production, and choreographed by

, Broadway's original Connie Wong. In 2019, a Spanish-language version of the musical premiered as part of the inaugural season of Teatro del Soho in Málaga, Spain, starring the theater's founder

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

as Zach. Banderas also co-directed the musical with Baayork Lee.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Original London production

2006 Broadway revival

2012 Australian revival

2013 London revival

Film adaptation

In 1975, the rights for a film were sold to

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

for $5.5 million plus 20% of the distributor's gross rentals above $30 million. Universal subsequently sold the rights to PolyGram. The film was released in 1985, starring

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

as Zach. It also featured

Alyson Reed Alyson Reed is an American dancer and actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in ...

and

Terrance Mann Terance Stanley Mann (born October 18, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles. Mann was drafted by the ...

as Cassie and Larry respectively. The film was directed by

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

with a screenplay by

Arnold Schulman Arnold Schulman (August 11, 1925 – February 4, 2023) was an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, songwriter and novelist. He was a stage actor long associated with the American Theatre Wing and the Actors Studio. Biography Born to a ...

. It was produced by

Cy Feuer Cy Feuer (January 15, 1911 – May 17, 2006) was an American theatre producer, director, composer, musician, and half of the celebrated producing duo Feuer and Martin. He won three competitive Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Th ...

and distributed by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, and Universal Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a

box office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...

, grossing only $14 million from a $25 million budget. Songs " Montage Part 1: Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love" and " Montage Part 4: Gimme The Ball" were cut and replaced with "Surprise, Surprise", a new song written by

and Edward Kleban. "The Music and the Mirror" was also cut and replaced with "Let Me Dance for You", written by Hamlisch and Kleban. " What I Did for Love" was sung by Cassie instead of Diana and was sung as a counterpart during "The Tap Combination." Songs "And...", and "

" were cut entirely.

Notes

References

* Long, Robert Emmet, ''Broadway, the Golden Years''. Continuum International Publishing Group 2001. * Flinn, Denny Martin, ''What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of A Chorus Line''. Bantam 1989 * Hamlisch, Marvin, ''The Way I Was''. Scribner 1982. * Kelly, Kevin, ''One Singular Sensation: The Michael Bennett Story''. New York: Doubleday 1990. * Mandelbaum, Ken, ''A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett''. St. Martins Press 1990. * McKechnie, Donna and Lawrence, Greg, ''Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life''. Simon & Schuster 2006. * Stevens, Gary, ''The Longest Line: Broadway's Most Singular Sensation: A Chorus Line''. Applause Books 2000. * Viagas, Robert; Lee, Baayork; and Walsh, Thommie, ''On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line''. New York: William Morrow & Company 1990.

External links

*
Every Little Step film website
* *
Tony Award Winners and Nominations 1976
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chorus Line, A 1975 musicals Broadway musicals LGBTQ-related musicals West End musicals Off-Broadway musicals Laurence Olivier Award–winning musicals Original musicals Pulitzer Prize for Drama–winning works One-act musicals Pulitzer Prize for Drama–winning musicals Musicals set in New York City Tony Award for Best Musical Works set in theatres Musicals by Marvin Hamlisch Tony Award–winning musicals Backstage musicals Plays about actors A Chorus Line