The Public Theater, HAMILTON to Host 40th Anniversary Tribute to A CHORUS LINE This Month

The Public Theater announced a special 40th anniversary tribute to A CHORUS LINE on Thursday, April 16 in honor of the first performance of this legendary musical that premiered in The Public's Newman Theater 40 years ago and went on to make musical theater history.

To commemorate this landmark event, the cast of the critically-acclaimed musical HAMILTON, currently playing on the same Newman stage, will present original cast members of A CHORUS LINE with a plaque that will hang in the Ford Foundation Lobby of The Public. Alumni scheduled to attend this special 40th anniversary tribute include Scott Allen, Renee Baughman, Kelly Bishop, Chuck Cissel, Kay Cole, Ronald Dennis, Brandt Edwards, Nancy Lane, Patricia Garland, Carolyn Kirsch, Ronald Kuhlman, Baayork Lee, Carole Schweid, Michael Serrecchia, and Samuel Williams.

"Forty years ago A Chorus Line opened at The Public, and changed everything about the way American musicals were created. Who gets to star in this, what they could be about, and above all, how tens of millions of people could embrace them," said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "Today, Hamilton is changing everything again. We want to celebrate our history and our future, what has changed and what remains profoundly the same about The Public."

A CHORUS LINE first premiered at The Public Theater on April 16, 1975 with a book by Nicholas Dante and James Kirkwood, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and music by Marvin Hamlisch. The musical was conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett and later transferred to Broadway to win the 1976 Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as eight other Tony Awards, including Best Book, Best Score, Best Director, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design, Donna McKechnie as Best Actress, Kelly Bishop for Best Featured Actress, and Samuel Williams for Best Featured Actor. Additionally it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, as well as a special Tony Award in 1984 for Longest-Running Broadway Musical. The 2006 Broadway revival received a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical. The original production at The Public ran for 101 performances before moving to Broadway, where it ran for a record-breaking 6,137 performances. A Chorus Line has toured nationally and internationally including productions in London, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and Austria.

For nearly 60 years, The Public has developed and produced groundbreaking new musicals and plays while nurturing the careers of artists and providing access for audiences with thousands of free and low-cost tickets. Many groundbreaking new musicals have premiered at The Public, having a strong impact on the landscape of musical theater while also continuing to be performed around the world today. In addition to A Chorus Line, other iconic musicals include the premiere of HAIR in 1967; the 1971 adaptation of Shakespeare's Two Gentleman of Verona, that premiered at the Delacorte Theater; the 1980 productions of The Pirates of Penzance and the 1985 production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which both premiered at the Delacorte Theater; Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk, which premiered in 1995; the 2004 production of Caroline, or Change; Passing Strange, which premiered in 2008; the 2010 production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; the productions of Fun Home and Here Lies Love in 2013; and the current acclaimed new musical Hamilton that opened on February 17, 2015 on the Newman stage.

HAMILTON is sold out at The Public Theater, but a final benefit performance has been added on Monday, May 4. Cancellation tickets for the run at The Public Theater that ends on May 4 may become available so check the box office at (212) 967-7555 or www.publictheater.org for last minute availability.

Transportation for 40th Anniversary Tribute graciously provided by Delta Air lines, the official airline of The Public Theater.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, a new initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, including Public Lab; and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012 the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. Key elements of the revitalization included infrastructure updates to the 158-year old building, as well as construction of new exterior entry stair and glass canopy; installation of ramps for improved accessibility; an expanded and refurbished lobby; the addition of a mezzanine level with a new restaurant lounge, The Library at The Public, designed by the Rockwell Group. www.publictheater.org

Photo Credit: Martha Swope