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 A Chorus Line is a musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and a book

by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Centred on

seventeen Broadway dancers auditionin !or s"ots on a chorus line, the musical is set on the bare

stae o! a Broadway theatre durin an audition !or a musical. A Chorus Line "rovides a lim"se into

the "ersonalities o! the "er!ormers and the choreora"her as they describe the events that have

sha"ed their lives and their decisions to become dancers.

#ollowin several worksho"s and an $!!%Broadway "roduction, A Chorus Line o"ened at the &hubert

'heatre on Broadway July (), *+), directed and choreora"hed by Michael Bennett. -n

un"recedented bo o!!ice and critical hit, the musical received twelve 'ony -ward nominations and

won nine, in addition to the *+/ 0ulit1er 0ri1e !or Drama.

'he oriinal Broadway "roduction ran !or /,*2 "er!ormances, becomin the lonest%runnin

"roduction in Broadway history until sur"assed by Cats in *++, and the lonest%runnin Broadway

musical oriinally "roduced in the 3&, until sur"assed in (4** by Chicago. 5t remains the sith

lonest%runnin Broadway show ever. - Chorus 6ine7s success has s"awned many success!ul

"roductions worldwide. 5t bean a lenthy run in the 8est End in *+/ and was revived on

Broadway in (44/, and in the 8est End in (4*2.

Contents

  9hide: 

• *&yno"sis

• (Musical numbers

o (.*$riinal cast album

• 2Characters

• ;0roduction history

o ;.*$riinal "roduction

o

;.(&ubse<uent "roductions

• )-wards and nominations

o ).*$riinal Broadway "roduction

o ).($riinal 6ondon "roduction

o ).2(44/ Broadway revival

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o ).;(4*( -ustralian revival

o ).)(4*2 6ondon revival

• /$ther media

• Notes

• =>e!erences

• +Eternal links

Synopsis9edit:

'he show o"ens in the middle o! an audition !or an u"comin Broadway "roduction. 'he !ormidable

director ?ach and his assistant choreora"her 6arry "ut the dancers throuh their "aces. Every

dancer is des"erate !or work @A5 Ho"e 5 et 5tA. -!ter the net round o! cuts, * dancers remain.

?ach tells them he is lookin !or a stron dancin chorus o! !our boys and !our irls. He wants to

learn more about them, and asks the dancers to introduce themselves. 8ith reluctance, the dancers

reveal their "asts. 'he stories enerally "roress chronoloically !rom early li!e e"eriences throuh

adulthood to the end o! a career.

'he !irst candidate, Mike, e"lains that he is the younest o! *( children. He recalls his !irst

e"erience with dance, watchin his sister7s dance class when he was a "re%schooler @A5 Can Do

'hatA. Mike took her "lace one day when she re!used to o to classand he stayed. Bobby tries to

hide the unha""iness o! his childhood by makin okes. -s he s"eaks, the other dancers have

misivins about this strane audition "rocess and debate what they should reveal to ?ach

@A-nd ...A, but since they all need the ob, the session continues.

?ach is anered when he !eels that the streetwise &heila is not takin the audition seriously.

$"enin u", she reveals that her mother married at a youn ae and her !ather neither loved nor

cared !or them. 8hen she was si, she reali1ed that ballet"rovided relie! !rom her unha""y !amily li!e

@A-t the BalletA, as did Bebe and Maie. 'he scatter%brained Kristine is tone%dea! , and her lament

that she could never A&inFA is interru"ted by her husband -l !inishin her "hrases in tune.

Mark, the younest o! the dancers, relates his !irst e"eriences with "ictures o! the !emale anatomy

and his !irst wet dream, while the other dancers share memories o! adolescence @AHello 'welve,

Hello 'hirteen, Hello 6oveA. 'he ;7*4A Connie laments the "roblems o! bein short, and Diana

recollects her horrible hih school actin class @ANothinA. Don remembers his !irst ob at

a nihtclub and Judy re!lects on her "roblematic childhood while some o! the auditionees talk about

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their o"inion o! their "arents @AMotherA. 'hen, re s"eaks about his discovery o!

his homoseuality and >ichie recounts how he nearly became a kinderarten teacher @Aimme the

BallA. #inally, the newly buom Gal e"lains that talent alone doesn7t count !or everythin with

castin directors, and silicone and "lastic surery can really hel" @ADance 'enI 6ooks 'hree 9'its

and -ss:A.

'he dancers o downstairs to learn a son !or the net section o! the audition, but Cassie stays

onstae to talk to ?ach. &he is a veteran dancer who has had some notable successes as a soloist.

'hey have a history toether ?ach had cast her in a !eatured "art "reviously, and they had lived

toether !or several years. ?ach tells Cassie that she is too ood !or the chorus and shouldn7t be at

this audition. But she hasn7t been able to !ind solo work and is willin to Acome homeA to the chorus

where she can at least e"ress her "assion !or dance @A'he Music and the MirrorA. ?ach sends her

downstairs to learn the dance combination.

?ach calls 0aul on stae, and he emotionally relives his childhood and hih school e"erience, his

early career in a dra act, comin to terms with his manhood and his homoseuality, and his "arents7

ultimate reaction to !indin out about his li!estyle. 0aul breaks down and is com!orted by ?ach.

Cassie and ?ach7s com"le relationshi" resur!aces durin a run%throuh o! the number created to

showcase an unnamed star @A$neA. ?ach con!ronts Cassie, !eelin that she is Adancin down,A and

they rehash what went wron in their relationshi" and her career. ?ach "oints to the machine%like

dancin o! the rest o! the castthe other dancers who have all blended toether, and who will

"robably never be reconi1ed individuallyand mockinly asks i! this is what she wants. Cassie

de!iantly de!ends the dancers A5d be "roud to be one o! them. 'heyre wonder!ul....'heyre all

s"ecial. 5d be ha""y to be dancin in that line. es, 5 would....A

Durin a ta" se<uence, 0aul !alls and inures his knee that recently underwent surery. -!ter 0aul is

carried o!! to the hos"ital, all at the audition stand in disbelie!, reali1in that their careers can also

end in an instant. ?ach asks the remainin dancers what they will do when they can no loner

dance. 6ed by Diana, they re"ly that whatever ha""ens, they will be !ree o! reret @A8hat 5 Did !or

6oveA. 'he !inal eiht dancers are selected Mike, Cassie, Bobby, Judy, >ichie, Gal, Mark, and

Diana.

A$neA @re"riseL!inale beins with an individual bow !or each o! the *+ characters, their hode"ode

rehearsal clothes re"laced by identical s"anled old costumes. -s each dancer oins the rou", it is

suddenly di!!icult to distinuish one !rom the other 5ronically, each character who was an individual

to the audience seems now to be an anonymous member o! a neverendin ensemble.9*:

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Musical numbers9edit:

• A5 Ho"e 5 et 5tA Com"any

• A5 Can Do 'hatA Mike

• A-nd...A Bobby, >ichie, Gal, and Judy

• A -t the BalletA &heila, Bebe, and Maie

• A&inFA Kristine, -l, and Com"any

• AMontae 0art * Hello 'welve, Hello 'hirteen, Hello 6oveA Mark, Connie, and Com"any

• AMontae 0art ( NothinA Diana

• AMontae 0art 2 MotherA Don, Judy, Maie, Cassie, -l, &heila, re, 0aul, and Com"any

• AMontae 0art ; imme the BallA re, >ichie, and Com"any

• ADance 'enI 6ooks 'hreeA Gal

• A'he Music and the MirrorA Cassie

• A$neA Com"any

• A'he 'a" CombinationA Com"any

• A8hat 5 Did !or 6oveA Diana and Com"any @

• A$neA @>e"rise Com"any

Original cast album9edit:

5ssued by Columbia >ecords @0&22)=* containin the !ollowin tracks

Side One

• A5 Ho"e 5 et 5tA % Com"any

• A5 Can Do 'hatA % Mike @8ayne Cilento

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• A-t the BalletA % &heila @Carole Bisho", Bebe @Nancy 6ane, Maie @Kay Cole

• A&inFA % Kristine @>enee Bauhman, -l @Don 0ercassi

•

AHello 'welve, Hello 'hirteen, Hello 6oveA @Montae % Com"any

• ANothinA % Diana @0riscilla 6o"e1

Side Two

• A'he Music and the MirrorA % Cassie @Donna McKechnie

• ADance 'enI 6ooks 'hreeA % Gal @0amela Blair

• A$neA % Com"any

• A8hat 5 Did #or 6oveA % Diana and Com"any

• A$ne @>e"riseA #inale % Com"any

Characters9edit:

• ?ach, the im"erious, success!ul director runnin the audition.

• 6arry, his assistant.

'he -uditionees

• Don Kerr, a married man who once worked in a stri" club.

• Maie 8inslow, a sweet woman who rew u" in a broken home.

• Mike Costa, an aressive dancer who learned to ta" at an early ae.

• Connie 8on, a "etite Chinese%-merican who seems aeless.

• re ardner, a sassy Jewish ay man who divules his !irst e"erience with a woman.

• Cassie #eruson, a once success!ul solo dancer down on her luck and a !ormer love o!

?ach7s.

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• &heila Bryant, a sassy, sey, ain dancer who tells o! her unha""y childhood.

• Bobby Mills, &heila7s best !riend who okes about his conservative u"brinin in Bu!!alo, New

ork.

• Bebe Ben1enheimer, a youn dancer who only !eels beauti!ul when she dances.

• Judy 'urner, a tall, awky, and <uirky dancer.

• >ichie 8alters, an enthusiastic black man who once "lanned to be a kinderarten teacher.

•  -l De6uca, an 5talian%-merican who takes care o! his wi!e.

• Kristine 3rich @De6uca, -l7s scatter%brained wi!e who can7t sin.

• Gal Clark, a !oul%mouthed but ecellent dancer who couldn7t et "er!ormin obs because o!

her looks until she had "lastic surery.

• Mark -nthony, the younest dancer who recounts the time he told his "riest he thouht he

had onorrhea.

• 0aul &an Marco, a ay 0uerto >ican who dro""ed out o! hih school and survived a troubled

childhood.

• Diana Morales, 0aul7s !riend, another 0uerto >ican who was underestimated by her

teachers.

Cut dancers

• 'ricia, who has a brie! vocal solo.

• Gicki, who never studied ballet.

• 6ois, who dances like a ballerina.

• >oy, who can7t et the arms riht @A8ron arms >oyA.

• Butch, who ives attitude in the audition.

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• 'om, an all%-merican ock.

• #rank, who looks at his !eet when he dances @AheadbandA.

Production history 9edit:

'he musical was !ormed !rom several ta"ed worksho" sessions with Broadway dancers, known as

Ay"sies,A includin eiht who eventually a""eared in the oriinal cast. 'he sessions were oriinally

hosted by dancers Michon 0eacock and 'ony &tevens. 'he !irst ta"ed session occurred at the

Nickolaus Eercise Center January (/, *+;. 'hey ho"ed that they would !orm a "ro!essional dance

com"any to make worksho"s !or Broadway dancers.

Michael Bennett was invited to oin the rou" "rimarily as an observer, but <uickly took control o! the

"roceedins. -lthouh Bennetts involvement has been challened, there has been no <uestion

about Kirkwood and Dantes authorshi". 5n later years, Bennett7s claim that A Chorus Line had been

his brainchild resulted in not only hard !eelins but a number o! lawsuits as well. 9(: Durin the

worksho" sessions, random characters would be chosen at the end !or the chorus obs, resultin in

enuine sur"rise amon the cast. &ubse<uent "roductions, however, have the same set o!

characters winnin the slots.92: Marvin Hamlisch, who wrote A Chorus Line7s winnin score, recalls

how in its !irst "reviews audiences seemed "ut o!! by somethin in the story. -ctress Marsha

Mason told Bennett that Cassie @Donna McKechnie in the oriinal "roduction should win the "art in

the end and not lose because she did everythin riht. Bennett chaned it so that Cassie would win

the "art.9;:

Original production9edit:

 A Chorus Line o"ened $!! Broadway at 'he 0ublic 'heater  on -"ril *), *+).9): -t the time, the

0ublic did not have enouh money to !inance the "roduction so it borrowed *./ million to "roduce

the show.9/: 'he show was directed and co%choreora"hed @with Bob -vian by Bennett.

 -dvance word had created such a demand !or tickets that the entire run sold out immediately.

0roducer  Jose"h 0a"" moved the "roduction to Broadway, and July (), *+), it o"ened at

the &hubert 'heatre, where it ran !or /,*2 "er!ormances until -"ril (=, *++4. 'he oriinal Broadwaycast included