September 27th, 2007 - This Day in History

A Chorus Line becomes the longest-running Broadway musical to date, when its 3,389th performance breaks the record previously held by Grease. A Chorus Line opened July 25, 1975, and was seen by more than 6.5 million people. The show, which won a Pulitzer and nine Tony awards, was made into a movie in 1985.

A Chorus Line, which gave a behind-the-scenes look at dancers auditioning for a Broadway show, was written by two industry insiders who had been involved in theater for decades. Composer Michael Bennett was born in 1943 and became a Broadway dancer and choreographer. He choreographed and directed such musicals as Company (1970) and Follies (1971). Bennett died in 1987. James Kirkwood, who wrote the show’s libretto, was the son of silent-film actors Lila Lee and James Kirkwood. Born in 1924, he became a stage actor and appeared on Broadway in Junior Miss, Small Wonder, and other shows, as well as movies like Oh God, Book II (1980) and Mommie, Dearest (1981). A writer as well as an actor, Kirkwood published several books, including P.S. Your Cat Is Dead (1972). Kirkwood died in 1989, and A Chorus Line closed the following year.

A revival of the famed musical opened on Broadway in September 2006.

The A Chorus Line original 1975 cast perform “I Hope I Get It” at the opening of the 1976 Tony Awards, broadcast live from the Shubert Theatre Sunday, April 18, 1976.

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