I have never believed that A Chorus Line was, in the advertising phrase recycled for the current revival: "The Best Musical. Ever." But it is an essential musical, one that both explores and embodies the drives, on both sides of the curtain, that make the form come alive.
Revival Introduces A Chorus Line to New Generation
After it closed in 1990 – breaking records with a run of 6,137 performances and outliving its creator, Michael Bennett – A Chorus Line stayed away from Broadway for 16 years.
If you were alive in the late '70s or '80s, chances are excellent that you know at least one song from A Chorus Line. Sing a few bars of the vamp that opens One and anyone nearby will join in — just try to stop them.
When “A Chorus Line” blazed across Broadway for a 15-year run back in 1975, winning the Pulitzer Prize and nine Tony awards, it inspired a plethora of local productions from the late ’70s through the ’80s. Seems as if every college and community theater was taking a crack at this landmark show.
Few actors get the chance to perform their dream role throughout their career. For actress and dancer Gabrielle Ruiz playing the role of Diana Morales in “A Chorus Line” has been her dream since she was 12 years old.
Encinitas resident cherishes his role in 'A Chorus Line'
Actor/dancer Steve Anthony owes a great deal of his career to a show that almost tanked. Because of this show, he met director/choreographer Michael Bennett, the man who changed his life forever.
“YOU CAN’T FIGHT THE THRILL!Cue the straw hats, tight glutes and heartbreak. It’s that sea of limbs, snapping and twirling their way toward grace, that keeps A CHORUS LINE forever young.”
“THE APPEAL REMAINS UNDIMMED! A ceaselessly fluid amalgam of past and present.The legendary mirrors continue to thrill as they periodically transform a black box into a magic one.”
“A SINGULARLY SENSATIONAL THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE!Spectacular because of it’s pure physicality and groundbreaking choreography that remain unmatched by any major musical since.Bow to this deserving, talented cast. A CHORUS LINE is for anyone who’s ever had a dream.WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT FROM ONE SHOW!”
