'A Chorus Line' Original Cast Members Amend Terms of 1976 Agreement

The beneficiaries of the Estate of Michael Bennett and the artists from the original interviews and workshops of A Chorus Line jointly announced today that they have amended the terms of their agreement signed in 1976. The artists will now have a financial interest in the current Broadway production as well as all future First Class productions.  The financial arrangement applies to the original interviewees of the taped sessions that Mr. Bennett held in the spring of 1974 and the actors who participated in the workshops prior to the original Off-Broadway production.

The beneficiaries of the Bennett estate became aware in the spring of 2006 that the artists were surprised that they were not receiving a financial participation in the current production.  After a meeting between the parties, the beneficiaries agreed that it would be fair and appropriate to extend the existing agreement to include the current Broadway revival playing at the Schoenfeld Theatre as well as all future First Class productions of the show.

As detailed in the book "On The Line" and mentioned in many existing video interviews, the original workshop and cast members of A Chorus Line are accredited for "signing over their lives for a penny."  Because of the terms of their thinly-drawn contract, some of the artists later felt "duped" by the success of the musical and expressed interest and concern in sharing in the profits of what is now one of America's most celebrated (and longest-running) musicals.

The beneficiaries of the Bennett estate participating in this arrangement include Bob Avian, Frank DiFilia, the Estate of Gene Pruit, Robin Wagner and John Breglio.  In honor of Mr. Bennett's wishes, the parties have agreed that AmFar (a Bennett beneficiary) will not be affected by this new arrangement.

The artists who were in the forefront of these discussions include Tony Award-winning actresses Kelly Bishop (the original "Sheila") and Donna McKechnie (the original "Cassie"), as well as Priscilla Lopez (the original "Diana"), Robert LuPone (the original "Zach"), Tony Stevens and Michon Peacock.

The musical A Chorus Line is one of the most successful shows in Broadway history.  In addition to receiving nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer prize for drama in 1976, the show went on to run for 6,137 performances on Broadway.  The current production, which opened in October 2006, is produced by Vienna Waits Productions.

The amended terms of the new agreement are confidential and will not be disclosed by any of the parties.