With Coleman, Roger Berlind and Sam Crothers, Martin had produced the gritty musical in 1997, the same year that the smash revival of Chicagoopened; Richards had thought about a film version from the very beginning.The Life, set in the seemy milieu of 80s Time Square, recounts the lives of a number of hustlers, pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts--among them Sonja and Queen, two members of "The Oldest Profession," Queen's lover Fleetwood and Mary, the new girl in town who falls into "The Life." The show, which opened on April 26, 1997 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, was nominated for 12 Tonys, winning 2 for stars Lillias White and Chuck Cooper. Yet the musical was considered a disappointment at 466 performances. The Life was directed by Michael Blakemore and choreographed by Joey McKneely. Ira Gasman and David Newman supplied the book, and Gasman the lyrics to Coleman's jazz-funk score.
Producer Richards is the founding member of The Producers Circle Company. Most recently, he backed the revival of La Cage aux Folles, and has also produced Sweet Smell of Success, The Will Rogers Follies, Grand Hotel, Roza, Grind, A Doll's Life, the original La Cage aux Folles, Sweeney Todd, On the Twentieth Century and the original production of Chicago. In film, he produced the Oscar-winning Chicago adaptation, as well as The Shining and The Boys from Brazil.
