A Chorus Line: The History Behind the Line
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Introducing Luca (my partner) to the channel. He takes a look at the history behind the creation of the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” (ACL), with amazing hits like I Hope I Get it, Music and the Mirror and What I Did For Love, particularly at the issues with Michael Bennett using dancers’ stories, including Kelly Bishop, Baayork Lee, Donna McKechnie, Wayne Cilento and Sammy Williams, and the supposed manipulation used to get these actors to be perfect for the show. From taped sessions in an exercise center to the Broadway stage at the Shubert Theater, Chorus Line has won all kinds of awards, including Tony, Olivier, and even the Pulitzer, but the original history of the show is not very well-known these days, so here’s an attempt to change that!
Footage used from Shine On Media, TheaterMania, Kinolibrary, Cinematic Videos Library, Free Stock Vids, Stars In The House, TheaterTalk and AussieTheatre.
Music from Bensound and MusicalPracticeTracks.
Missing from your "In Memoriam" list is Michel Stuart, who originated the role of Greg and, sadly, died unexpectedly in 1997. He had left Broadway and dancing but had successfully segued into producing and costume design. At the time of his death, he was living in Los Angeles. Nonetheless, thank you for a fantastic and informative video.
Thank you for pointing it out, I tried my best to include everyone who had passed but it was difficult for such a large cast. I’m pinning your comment for posterity! Thank you for the kind words!
@@steveb1164 , indeed--quite a sad ending. His memory lives on.
thank you for remembering my dear friend Michel Stuart....he died in an unfortunate (was there ever a fortunate one?) car accident. Miss him still.
One singular sensation
Every little step she takes
One thrilling combination
Every move that she makes…
This was not how I expected to find out Cats made more than A Chorus Line but it still hurts.
Right? It’s a cruel, cruel world out there 😩
1975 vs. 1981 through the mid 80s were very different times in the US economically. I think that audiences generally had more money to spend for travel to NYC and in their entertainment budget during the time of Cats. It’s alluded to briefly around the 3:30 minute mark here.
@@ImmortalTara💯
i mean they’re basically the same story concept with very similar beats soooo….
I think Bennett completely underestimated the effect the ending of the show would have on the audience. He had said he wanted the audience to be horrified that here were the dancers and they all morphed into ONE. But while he staged it with that intention, what happens to us as an audience. As the dancers come out one by one, we recognize them and applaud, usually wildly. Then, as the number goes on, you find yourself looking at them, and saying to yourself, "Oh there's Sheila and Paul..." Then the exhilaration of the number reaches it peak, and you realize these wonderful people who have just spent two hours sharing their lives, are amazing at what they do. This exhilaration and astonishment are what the audience leaves feeling. Not horror.
Yeah, I was surprised when I heard the ending was supposed to be bleak. I remembered when I first saw it and how all the dancers were in the final number, even the cut ones, I took it that it was like a fantasy where they all made it and now get to be on stage enjoying what they do. It being the curtain call is like the audience now knowing the people in the background in the Chorus Line and cheering for them specifically.
@@bemiatto67 That's a perfect interpretation of it. I wonder if anyone took it Bennett;s way.
"Based entirely on her fab self" AIN'T IT THE TRUTH. God bless Kelly Bishop.
A Chorus Line has been my favorite since the 80s. I'm old, but Paul's monologue brought me to tears.
As of December 17th 2022 we can add RON DENNIS TO THE MEMORANDUM.
RIP RON!❤️
Terrific job...we saw the original show in September 1975 after it moved to the Schubert...remains the best show we’ve ever seen...truly spectacular....thanks for doing this
Experienced the original at the Papp. Now it’s a piece of theatre history. I will always treasure those moments.
I am green.....
so you saw the 1st original cast who actually made it to opening night? Broadway magic... nothing like it.
let me repeat.... I am Very green
I lived upstairs from Michon Peacock while the marathon talk sessions for A CHORUS LINE were going on. I really wanted to be a part of the TALK THERAPY but she said the workshop was only for Broadway Gypsies, one of which I wasn't.
She told me that the sessions went on all night based on MARATHON THERAPY which was in style at the time. I forget the year.
Michael Bennett and Michael Stuart were also at Michon's apartment eating omelets and she invited me down to meet them.
What a great memory!
Hi Janet - how were they defining the "Broadway Gypsies"? And what were you that you couldn't attend?
That is so cool !
Fun fact John Leguizamo sites A Chorus Line has one of his main reasons for getting into showbiz in his own Broadway stand-up comedy freak
My favorite Broadway musical of all time!! I never tire of hearing stories of its origin! I was a figure skater in the 70’s and my fellow skaters and I played the soundtrack to death during practice sessions. Eventually I choreographed a group number to ‘I Hope I Get It’ for a summer ‘showcase’ competition. Ironically my group competed and won the gold medal as I traveled to Atlantic City to rehearse for the Ice Capades ‘corp de’ ballet’ - like Paul, I had a career ending injury (or two or three). Looking back, I am more proud of the win for choreography than any other accomplishment in my 12 years on the ice. During the early days of lockdown when members of the revival cast and of various touring companies did a socially distant ‘I Hope I Get It’ that I caught on UA-cam, it was such a bright spot for me during a very depressing time. I must have watched it 25 times the day I discovered it! I hope if they do a revival for the 50th, they don’t change a thing. I know it’s dated, but also timeless!
I didn't know about the lockdown performances "I hope I get it"...
I'll be sure to search it out, but hope someone might point me in the right direction.
Beautiful job! Thank you for taking the time to do this!
I never got to see A Chorus Line on stage. I did how ever see the movie made in 1985 when I was 15. Seeing some of the on stage footage I have it is close to the Broadway version. I saw the movie Grease in theaters at age 8 and fell in love with musicals. Then when A Chorus Line came out my mind was now away. I know I watched it 10 times that week it was on. I know it isn't anything like seeing a production on stage but it was a magical time for me when I saw it. It is one of my favorite musicals. Beauty and the Beast is my all time Favorite. I did see that one on stage. There is no comparison. You can't explain the magical feeling seeing it live to someone. They have to experience it for themselves. Great video by the way..love you guys channel ❤
Thank you for the kind words! I do think ACL has got a certain magic to it that just stays with you, it’s my absolute favourite. And if you’re a fan of Grease as well, you may wanna keep an eye out for our next video… 👀
@@TheDramaDorks I'm am sitting here like 😲 😱 hahaa I'm like a kid before Christmas I can't wait 😆 ❤🤗
Hello I just opened UA-cam and this was in my feed. I'm not sure if you guys have seen it or if it is even watchable. But I immediately thought about you guys. I thought who would be just as excited as me to see this but you guys? ❤❤
ua-cam.com/video/uu6D3Y2O7cs/v-deo.html
In case you didn't know, the newest stage version of Beauty and the Beast in the UK is being directed + choreographed by Matt West who played Bobby in the film version of ACL. I think you can find an interview with him about it on UA-cam from last year.
@@kristenwaite5955 Oh Thank you so so much. You made me smile so big ❤🤗
Well, I just stumbled onto this video. You being so young, how did you get all this info? Lovely job. FYI, Chris Chadman was also a part of the workshop and left with me to do CHICAGO. It was such a monumental event in our young lives; many of us are still in contact to this day. Thank you.
Candy Brown
Hi Candy! Thank you so much for your comment, it genuinely means a lot to have someone involved in my favorite musical’s history respond (and a Chicago and Pippin cast member at that!). Luckily for me, ACL’s history has been very well-documented, especially with the cast’s interviews and multiple documentaries. It definitely seems true that it was a monumental event for everyone involved. Honestly, thank you so much for watching.
your channel is so underrated like y’all deserve so much more hype. there aren’t enough theatre analysis channels
I agree, I just found this channel and this is my third video 🥰. I love learning the behind the scene stuff.
Thank you for this Video. I was an 80s kid who grew up watching the movie version, listening to the soubdtrack, and singing "One" in choir. I've always been curious about the Musical's history and origin. And I still watch the movie and listen to the songs to this day. It's hard to deny it's power and impact. Thank you again.
The movie doesn’t do the play justice. It’s pretty bad. They took out Music & the Mirror for starters. They 80-cized it and the heart and soul disappeared. My dearly departed friend Tony Fields played Al in the film (also appeared in MJ’s Beat It and Thriller videos), so every once in a blue moon I pull out my DVD. I saw the First National Company when the show premiered in Los Angeles and wore out the soundtrack. I also worked at a Vintage store in the 80’s/90’s. The owners were two former Broadway dancers who had worked with Michael Bennett. The play will always hold a special place in my heart!
@@melaniesharp397 I had a PT who was in the Thriller video. Lol. Third female to the right in blue. Patty.
Again, you've done a fantastic job of going behind the facade of the show to expose how it got to be what it became. Much has been said about the personal characteristics of Michael Bennett. It's no coincidence that his idol was Jerome Robbins, another taskmaster and perfectionist. But I don't think this show would have become what it is had it not been driven by Michael Bennett's vision. I don't want to minimize at all anything that the musical's other creators as well as every dancer who provided their life's story to the ultimate success of this musical. The original cast and perhaps the first international touring company can never be matched. There have been and will be revivals that are great to see. But they lack the look and authenticity of the dancer who was working and living in 1975. It's like the original cast of Follies. You can never add the human element that the original cast members brought to the characters in that show and the fact their careers started during or soon after followed the original Ziegfeld follies. Same thing with A Chorus Line. Please do more of this. Thank you.
💯%. Great analysis of how this magical production came to fruition. I was so fortunate to see the original cast in the 70s. I was a young teen and had no idea of the history I was witnessing, though I went back to my small hometown in Western PA and listened to the LP soundtrack for years, commiting every word to memory and using At the Ballet for an interpretive piece in college.
Over the years, I've seen so many productions of ACL from touring companies to community theater, each one touching me in my soul. A dancer is a dancer, regardless of the level of success they achieve. There's something very unique and special -- a gypsy spirit, so to speak -- that I admire and resonate with (though I was not gifted with talent).
What is this about a Netflix show? I avoid TV as much as possible, aside from Gilmore girls, so I hope to find something.
I hope that the 70s feelings, challenges, and language are kept in any upcoming events. Any attempt to *modernize* it could be quite detrimental, IMHO. It is an escape to the past for the audience and diehard fans and could be eye opening for the younger generations.
Thank you again for this excellent analysis and interpretation of the backstory.
Something about A Chorus Line is so magical. Thank you for this video!
Michael was a genius. Like most incredibly gifted people, he was complex and his brilliant successes (Company , Follies A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls literally helped musical theater to evolve to a more modern form much like Oklahoma didn’t in the 40s and Gypsy in the 50s) and acclaim elicited a lot of jealousy and feelings of betrayal, emotions that are part of the very fabric of Show Business ( see All About Eve and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane or Gypsy and Follies). At the end of the day, it’s all Michael. After all, who other than he, of people that were involved in ACL can claim anything like all of his achievements . I feel like this video was unfair to the memory of one of the GIANTS of musical theater for the latter part of the 20th Century. Michael Bennet, thank you, you are not forgotten and YOUR genius lives on.
This channel is so underrated oh my god
I grew up listening to the OBC record and saw it in Chicago in the early ‘80s. I wish I could have seen the 2006 Broadway revival, not just for the show itself, but also because the director Zach was being played by Michael Berresse, who went to my brother high school (our single sex Catholic schools in Joliet, IL were brother/sister schools), and we were in the same cast of Appointment with Death in 1982. I have had fun following his success on stage over the years!
I'm really glad the artists whose personal stories provided the origin material are finally receiving fair recompense. The original process sounds rather exploitative tbh, particularly given Bennett's degree of power in the industry at the time (hence the way he could potentially have impacted their careers if they refused to sign over their IP to him....? 😕)
Thank you for your balanced coverage on this one Luca! Thought you did a good job of highlighting both Bennett's genius and the potential problems with his process?
I've heard that Michael Bennett talked to his lawyers the day the show opened on Broadway to compensate the artists. He was under absolutely no obligation to do so. They got paid, because he gave a portion of his own earnings.
A Chorus Line was my absolute favorite show after seeing it about a dozen times since 1976.
This video showed me a ton of new information I never knew. Thank you!
NICK DANTE was originally the author of the show and was I think taping and transcribing the interviews of the dancers but because he was not literate enough and was also working at RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL dancing between shows and rehearsing for about $300 a week, Michael Bennett called in James Kirkwood to write the show. NICK DANTE however was listed as co writer and received a large share of the money while Michon Peacock received about $25,000 with which she bought some new furniture and some other necessities.
So well done! I saw the show twice in the late 70s in San Antonio. It's still my favorite too. Maybe it's because my dance teacher as a kid in NY state, had been a Rockette. Then I moved to the middle of nowhere in the South at 13 and my formal training was gone. I felt a lot of what ifs watching ACL...that's my story.
This is SO well done, and I'm SO excited that I found your channel!!! Thank you Drama Dorks!!
Fantastic analysis, thank you for teaching the wonderful history of ACL
I’m glad you enjoyed, thank you for your feedback ❤️
So happy I found your channel! Keep up the great work :) I’m always itching for some good theatre analysis/investigations.
THANK YOU!!! In your next video, will you explore the life and times of three dancers who blazed a trail in the early 1980s; Debbie Allen, Irene Cara, and Gene Anthony Ray? These three represent so much more than the film and TV series "Fame". This was the first time that African-American dancers, singers and actors/ actresses had been given the spotlight of mainstream success since ... the days of Sammy Davies Jr and Eartha Kitt.
You did a fabulous production!!
Have been a theatre nut all my life and when I saw ads for a touring production coming to the Los Angeles area, I decided to go not knowing anything about the show. I assumed it was some sort of dance extravaganza and nothing more. I went mostly because of its 15 year Broadway run and figured it had to be worth my time.
I will never forget that first performance. The show ended and I was in shock at what an incredible show it was. It made me cry multiple times which I simply was NOT expecting and it wasn't just an empty dance spectacular as I had assumed it would be. It was so much more. It was about humans and the human condition. I loved it so much, I purchased another ticket for a performance a few days later. I was naughty and audio recorded that performance, hehe.
That was back in 1997. The theatre was the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. I have since seen the show many more times. Flew to San Francisco in 2006 to catch the pre-Broadway run of the revival at the Curran Theatre and saw many regional and touring productions. I was there for the revival national tour's closing engagement at the Pantages in Los Angeles. I estimate I've seen the show about 15-20 times and could go for more.
So glad you got to play Paul! I did his monologue for a theatre class I took years ago and it was surreal being up on a stage doing that long and emotional scene. I could relate as I am gay as well and that just made it so real even though I've never been a dancer, nor have I ever dabbled in putting on female clothing or being a "pony," hehe. Thanks for this, I loved it.
I'm obsessed with the opening choreography. I know it by heart and dance it when I'm alone every now and then.
I saw A Chorus Line in a touring production in 1978 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA. It was the first musical I ever saw, and the first musical recording I bought. I was fortunate to see its 2006 revival on Broadway. This piece left an indelible mark on me in a good way.
Thank you so much for this! So very thorough! I performed as Bebe in a professional production of ACL in Chicago in 1999, and it was directed/choreographed by an original touring member, so we had all the original choreography. Hardest show I ever did!
The ACL reboot should include stories like “I gave my life story to ACL and got this shiny dollar in return.
Bit of meta always fun
this is amazing - thank you so much for educating me on this x
I’m late to this video but i’m so glad i found it- i did vals monologue in eigth grade and i’ve frequented it for auditions since, and after watching the “ every little step “ documentary last year in my freshman year of highschool i’ve had a fondness for a chorus line. i’m so glad i found this channel and thus this video, there’s so much i never knew.
Your channel will blow up in some time with these youtube random algorithm, just be patient and keep doing video!!
i could watch all of these videos the rest of my life
This deserves more love. Commenting for the algorithm. ;)
A huge shame (a crime) that a high quality video of the original was not made - have see the low quality black & white video which of course is better than nothing. Fortunate to see the first National Tour in SF with many of the original actors, despite sitting high in the 2nd balcony, what a special night at the theater.
Wonderful video!!!
Thank you!
Can you do a billy Elliot video?? 🙏🏾❤️ comparing the actual historical events to how they are portrayed on stage and in filem
NICK DANTE was a friend of Michon and we were all involved in NISHERON SHOSHU BUDDHISM.The NICHOLAS FITNESS STUDIO were a lot of the original project took place was owned by another Buddhist Chanter who was gay and was forced to get married when NISHOREN SHOSHU insisted on it. Michon who was pretty high up in Buddhism supported that.
Really really interesting- saw it in 1881 on Broadway I love these behind the scenes - your boyfriend is a lucky man - take care
i needed to watch this video for my Performing Arts A-Level class and my god i loved every second of it. Thank you so much!
I love the film with Michael Douglas as Zach
wow I am so glad I watched long enough to learn that the dancers were compensated with writing credits. Playwrights use actors stories and notes and ideas so much in the workshopping process and then just discard them with the 50 bucks or whatever for the week.... its really a huge issue. I LOVE a chorus line and had they only been compensated 1 buck for their life rights i couldn't have watched it again!
Great video. Learned some stuff about ACL I didn’t know!!
Thank you for this!!!
I saw A Chorus Line when I was 11 or so...probably too young to appreciate it. I didn't care for it at the time...but now it's about 18 years later and I'm wondering if I would enjoy it now as a jaded theatre school drop-out
I don't expect you to respond to this comment either but I'm still wonderfully glad to have found your channel both as a theatre fanatic and an elder gay man who found his way out of the closet through the love of and involvement in theatre - all forms not just musicals but I do love Broadway musicals otherwise they might revoke my "gay card" {don't leave home without it!}😂. Your analysis and behind the scenes look at classic Broadway shows is thoroughly researched as well as fantastically entertaining. A Chorus Line is my absolute favorite musical and you nailed it! I saw two professional Broadway tour company productions: Kansas City, KS - 1978 & Las Cruces, NM - 1983. Almost endlessly listened to the OCR all through college and would embarrass friends and colleagues by belting out the T&A sections from Dance 10, Looks 3 in public. Thanks for reviving those memories! 😊
I just love your channel , keep going !! So interesting
Well done. Thank you very much.
You guys are what Waiting in the Wings wishes they could be. Loved the video!! Have you read Ken Mandelbaum's book, A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett? If you haven't, I think you'd really like it :)
Thank you so much! I haven’t had the chance to, but I do plan on covering some more Michael Bennett shows so I’ll definitely have to give it a look! 😄
i audibly gasped at the “1 dollar” info drop
Great! Remember you did a scene from "Chorus Line" when you were a little kid?
Hahaha, that's when my love for the show started!
Very good. Thank you.
I love your channel. Your research and presentation are top notch!
Wow this is such an in depth analysis!! I'm definitely subscribing! 👏🏼☺️
What a great video! Loved it!
Excellent video.
Thank you.
True pleasure.
It's hard to find much history on this show, so thank you so much for this video!! Do you guys plan to take a look at the 85 film version at all - seeing as it's got so many changes from the stage version?
I enjoyed your story telling
OMG, at 04:41 Michael Bennett's face looks to be covered in Kaposi's Sarcoma lesions.
fabulous video!
"The dancee mentality of not asking questions."
Sign their stories away for a $1.00?!! And signing away royalty rights?!! Agreement signed didn't have royalty rights either, smh. The dancers forgot the business in Show Business
i love this channel so much!! you guys are gonna get big
Michael B actually did ask personal questions during the auditions when the show was moving to Broadway.
This is what I've waited for...
RIP Ronnie Dennis
RIP Sammy Williams
i nerded the fuck out to this. good content.
As indicated on the cover of the Playbill you show, the date of the final performance of the original production of "A Chorus Line" was April 28, 1990, not April 18.
Thank you so much for creating this video! It is one of my favorite shows of all time (along with In the Heights) and there was so much i didn’t know about the creation of it. Super interesting. I’m curious, how do you feel about the movie? It was the first version of the show i saw when i was a teenager so i do like it, but i know people that hate it lol.
And thank you for watching it! I have seen most of the movie through bits and pieces but not all at once. I do loooove its version of One and have a soft spot for Let Me Dance For You, but the removal of the Montage really breaks my heart 😭
There are bits of the movie that are good, but sitting in that theatre, watching the audition, just can't be captured on film.
Did Netflix ever do a special or anything?
I adore ACL. I wanted to be a "gypsy," when I was little.
i have no idea why Michon isnt credited with that show.....it was she and Tony
If they revive it in 2025 I really hope they stick to the original story and don’t modernize it.
Amazin...
I liked the original more. New broadway shows cast too many attractive people. I find that annoying. Sometimes they cast masculine men too which I hate. It'd be nice to start seeing feminine men in the lead. Broadway now hardly ever makes shows focused on lgbtq stories.
❤️💜❤️💜
RENT. Johnathan Larsen. Also a cast driven story.
Do you have the rest of the lyrics to confidence?
Wowowowowowo
Cassie was Zach's ex-girlfriend, not ex-wife.
We just had a revival
Rhonda is part of tye cast.
Eloquent.
hey kids how about Michon Peacock,,,,we started together in St Paul.............she made my whole career
I always get personally offended when people talk about the "My Life Story For $1". First off, they didn't get $1. Some of them got a Broadway show. Michael Bennett gave all of them a percentage of his profit of the show, whether they part of the taped sessions, or the workshop. And truthfully, no one would know any of their stories if Michael Bennett didn't pull this together. We only know these people because of this show.
What your being is about
a bit odd that almost all of the shilling for Bennett comes from his ex wife Donna
Good job, but you whitewashed Bennet's viciousness.
Pretty crappy that the people who contributed their stories got screwed over. The writers/producers could have done better with this.
hey what about Michon peacock>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Don't get me wrong, I loved this video and you did a great job, but please try to control the vocal fry.