A Chorus Line

 

A Chorus Line was the first play I ever saw on Broadway. It was in the mid-80s, I think, in the middle of its streak of 6,137 performances. That number stood for several years as the longest-running show in Broadway history until it was passed by Cats in 1997.

As you’re bound to know by now (the show premiered back in 1975), A Chorus Line is the story of a group of 17 experienced dancers auditioning for a part in the chorus line of a musical. As part of the tryout process, they’re urged to tell their life story to the director. Laughter, pathos, and singing ensue. A Chorus Line had two memorable songs; the inspirational one (“What I Did for Love”) and the showstopper (“One”).

In addition to being one of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history (it still ranks fifth), A Chorus Line earned 12 Tony nominations and winning nine. And in recognition that the play was more than an excuse for singing and dancing, it earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1976. It truly was one singular sensation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0R2UFGUTNg