The production itself heavily recreates Michael Bennett's direction and choreography (thanks to Bob Avian and original cast member Baayork Lee), and the tale of a group of dancers trying out for a never-named musical still has the power to pull audiences. In February 2008, an agreement was reached with the dancers and Michael Bennett's estate. A Chorus Line (1985) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. “I’m bound to uphold the terms that Michael agreed to.”, The legality of the arrangements is not an issue. The original dancers began examining the release form and the agreement, some for the first time. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. It included Jean-Pierre Cassel as Zach, Diane Langton as Diana Morales, Jeff Shankley as Al, Michael Staniforth as Paul, Stephen Tate as Greg (later replacing Cassel as Zach) and Geraldine Gardner (aka Trudi van Doorn of The Benny Hill Show) as Sheila. [15] 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. Some were afraid of what would happen if they did not; some revered Mr. Bennett so much that they would do anything he asked. Never officially released, the song was performed by Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff. But reflecting the feelings of some of the other dancers, he added, “We were the authors of the show, and we should have been paid accordingly.”. In later years, Bennett's claim that A Chorus Line had been his brainchild resulted in not only hard feelings but a number of lawsuits as well. “A Chorus Line,” one of the most successful musicals of all time. May 06, 1976 - Aug 17, 1980. they had been heard by a few people until Mr. Breglio recently permitted a reporter to listen. In 2016, approval was granted to director Donna Feore to allow changes in choreography so the show could be performed for the first time on a thrust stage, the Festival Theatre at the Stratford Festival of Canada. Mike took her place one day when she refused to go to class—and he stayed. [40] The film was released in 1985, starring Michael Douglas as Zach. This new agreement split among them a half-percent of the production’s weekly box office gross revenues, as well as a similar portion of the income from subsidiary rights; it gave the 19 dancers in the A Group double the They all sat in a circle on the floor. Kevin Gray remaster via Analog Sparks. Don remembers his first job at a nightclub and Judy reflects on her problematic childhood while some of the auditioners talk about their opinion of their parents ("Mother"). Zach confronts Cassie, feeling that she is "dancing down," and they rehash what went wrong in their relationship and her career. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough with a screenplay by Arnold Schulman. A sassy, sexy, aging dancer who tells of her unhappy childhood. Download this stock image: A CHORUS LINE Revival Opening Night on Broadway - BWEAYY from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. that it was primarily Mr. Bennett who took 20 hours of interviews and had the vision to shape them into a groundbreaking musical. Now a revival of “A Chorus Line,” which opens at the Schoenfeld Theater in Manhattan on Thursday night, has reopened some of these old wounds, particularly after the dancers realized they would receive no money from Like almost all the other dancers, Ms. Lopez, who went on to act in television shows, films and, occasionally, other Broadway musicals, said she loved her experience in “A Chorus Line” and, with the exception of the Locked in a safe deposit box for much of the last 32 years, A Chorus Line is a 1985 American drama musical film directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Michael Douglas.The screenplay by Arnold Schulman is based on the book of the 1975 stage production of the same name by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.The songs were composed by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban.. New choruses are a great way to uplift the fellowship. Mr. Bennett made with the dancers three decades ago. 2. [43], In 2009, music from the score was used in the television series Fringe in the episode "Brown Betty", and also in the movie Land of the Lost that same year featuring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, and Anna Friel. Banderas also co-directed the musical with Baayork Lee.[39]. Shows so excellent they got a second (or even third) life! 1974 contract, would not trade any of it. The formidable director Zach and his assistant choreographer Larry put the 24 dancers through their paces. In 1990, original cast members Baayork Lee and Thommie Walsh collaborated with Robert Viagas on the book On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line, which chronicles the musical's origins and evolution and includes interviews with the entire original cast. An unprecedented box office and critical hit, the musical received twelve Tony Award nominations and won nine, in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical A Chorus Line is to be revived in the West End for the first time since 1976. The first taped session occurred at the Nickolaus Exercise Center January 26, 1974. In the House MD Season 6 episode, "The Down Low", James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) starts singing "One" in the last few seconds of the episode, much to the discomfort of Wilson's best friend, Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). production. [22], The original Australian production opened in Sydney at Her Majesty's Theatre in May 1977, and moved to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre in January 1978. 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). Renee Baughman was the only original cast member who couldn't attend the show's taping because she had to care for her seriously ill father. "And..." – Bobby, Richie, Val, and Judy †, "Montage Part 3: Mother" – Don, Judy, Maggie, and Company, "Montage Part 4: Gimme the Ball" – Greg, Richie, and Company, "At the Ballet" – Sheila (Kelly Bishop), Bebe (Nancy Lane), Maggie (Kay Cole), "Sing!" Apr 29, 1976 - May 29, 1983. These tales, shaped by the choreographer Michael Bennett, would become the foundation of But the careers of many of the dancers did not take off after “Chorus Line.”. It cost $8 million to finance and recouped its investment in 19 weeks. After Paul is carried off to the hospital, all at the audition stand in disbelief, realizing that their careers can also end in an instant. Zach tells them he is looking for a strong 8-member dancing chorus of four boys and four girls. [18] Universal subsequently sold the rights to PolyGram. In 1988, the 60th Academy Awards featured a variation of "I Hope I Get It" at the beginning of the ceremony. Figure skater Oksana Baiul performed to One en route to defeating Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympics. In August 2013, ACL alumna Melissa R. Randel ("Judy Turner") mounted her original production, The Hat, at The New York International Fringe Festival – FringeNYC. They hoped that they would form a professional dance company to make workshops for Broadway dancers. A CHORUS LINE, once the longest-running musical in Broadway history, has made a spectacular return to the Great White Way. “I only know what Michael intended by the words on that document, which are crystal clear,” he said. Zach calls Paul, who has been reluctant to share his past, on stage for a private talk, and he emotionally relives his childhood and high-school experience, his early career in a drag act, coming to terms with his manhood and his homosexuality, and his parents' ultimate reaction to finding out about his lifestyle. In July 1986, A Chorus Line was produced in Italy for the first time. When the dancers heard there would be a revival, most assumed they would receive royalty payments, with several recalling that Mr. Bennett once told them that the A and B groups would have a piece of any “Chorus Line” In 1990, Visa launched a marketing campaign around A Chorus Line as it was touring the United States. She is a veteran dancer who has had notable successes as a soloist. was all Michael.” If Mr. Bennett manipulated them at times, he added, “well, he created a masterpiece.” Mr. Boockvor, the inspiration for Al, did not make it through auditions. A sweet woman who grew up in a broken home. Cassie defiantly defends the dancers: "I’d be proud to be one of them. Following several workshops and an Off-Broadway 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. “We’ll just talk.”. [32], In 2012, the musical toured Australia gaining much critical acclaim. Among his upcoming projects is a 50th anniversary revival of A Chorus Line in 2025. In 2019, the Spanish-language version of the musical premiered as part of the inaugural season of Teatro del Soho Caixabank in Málaga, Spain, starring the theater's founder Antonio Banderas as Zach. It began a lengthy run in the West End in 1976 and was revived on Broadway in 2006, and in the West End in 2013. It was performed by Ódry Színpad (the company of the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest) translated into Hungarian by György Gebora, and directed by Imre Kerényi. Not all of them made it. their first response is to ask ‘Why?’ ” he said. The original dancers are continuing to meet with lawyers, but acknowledge that they are in a tough place. We have tickets to meet every budget for the A Chorus Line schedule. A Chorus Line is a story about seventeen experienced, professional dancers, all struggling just to gain a part in the background as chorus members. [20][21] The production ran for three years and won the Laurence Olivier Award as Best Musical of the Year 1976, the first year the awards were presented. Some became choreographers or teachers. “I really want to talk about us, where we came from, why we’re dancers, what the alternatives are, why we think we’re in this business.”, “I don’t know whether anything will come of this,” he adds. Production of the documentary began in 2005 when 3,000 hopefuls arrived on the first day of auditions for the revival. Browse 200+ critical A Chorus Line (Broadway Revival) reviews & compare A Chorus Line (Broadway Revival) ticket prices. The dancers go downstairs to learn a song for the audition's next section, but Cassie stays onstage to talk to Zach. However, she hasn't been able to find solo work and is willing to "come home" to the chorus where she can at least express her passion for dance ("The Music and the Mirror"). ", James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo produced and directed a documentary film about the musical called Every Little Step, which includes footage of Michael Bennett and interviews with Marvin Hamlisch, Bob Avian, former theater critic for The New York Times Frank Rich, and original cast members Donna McKechnie and Baayork Lee. The show first opened on Broadway in 1975, landing in the West End a year later. given their stories at the original tape sessions and/or were part of both workshops; Group B had participated only in the tape sessions; Group C included those in the show who had not been with it from the early stages. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Elizabeth Seal 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. In 1984, under the direction of Roy Smith with translation by Nacho Artime y Jaime Azpilicueta, the show was produced at the Tivoli Theater in Barcelona and the Monumental Theatre in Madrid Spain. Show-Score members say: Entertaining, Great singing, Delightful, Must see, Funny The South Park episode "W.T.F." ", although the male and female vocals were switched. The film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008 and was released as Broadway Broadway in Japan the following month. Send A Great Revival In my heart, in my heart Send a great revival, … Continue reading "Send A Great Revival" The same production and cast then came to Singapore, playing at the Marina Bay Sands, Sands Theater, May 4 to May 27, 2012. “But I thought, ‘If I don’t sign this, I’m not going to be a part of it.’ ”. When she was six she realized, as had Bebe and Maggie, that ballet provided relief from her unhappy family life ("At the Ballet"). The show and I go way back. He wants to learn more about them, and asks the dancers to introduce themselves. [30] The production was the subject of the documentary film Every Little Step. When it closed on Broadway in 1990, it had drawn gross revenues of more than $280 million worldwide. referencing A Chorus Line - Original Cast Recording, LP, Album, Gat, 83689-1. The first candidate, Mike, explains that he is the youngest of 12 children. In 2011, he was a co-producer on Lysistrata Jones , a pop musical loosely adapted from Aristophanes, that closed after 30 performances. A Chorus Line (Revival, Musical, Drama, Broadway) opened in New York City Oct 5, 2006 and played through Aug 17, 2008. The first—and as of 2016 only—professional Hungarian production of the musical opened its limited run on March 25, 1988 under the title Michael Bennett emlékére (English: In memory of Michael Bennett). As Kelly Bishop, who played Sheila in the original Broadway cast, later noted, "it was appalling when director Richard Attenborough went on a talk show and said 'this is a story about kids trying to break into show business.' The youngest dancer who recounts the time he told his priest he thought he had. However, several costumers protested this ending, mainly due to the stress of having to change random actors in time for the finale. [28] The production was directed by Bob Avian, with the choreography reconstructed by Baayork Lee, who had played Connie Wong in the original Broadway production. When it closed, A Chorus Line was the longest running show in Broadway history[16] until its record was surpassed by Cats in 1997. The scatterbrained Kristine is tone-deaf, and her lament that she could never sing is interrupted by her husband Al finishing her phrases in tune ("Sing").