Up On The Marquee Flashback: Michael Bennett's BALLROOM 1979

Today, BroadwayWorld is flashing back to 1978 when Michael Bennett's Ballroom was the inhabitant of a pre-Phantom Majestic Theatre!

Based on Jerome Kass's teleplay for the 1975 Emmy Award-winning CBS television drama Queen of the Stardust Ballroom which starred Maureen Stapleton and Charles Durning, BALLROOM, the 1978 Broadway musical was directed and choreographed by legendary Tony Award winner Michael Bennett, and starred Dorothy Loudon. The musical tells the story of aging, lonely widow, Bea Asher, and her romantic involvement with Alfred Rossi, a mail carrier she meets at the local ballroom dance hall.

The Broadway production of BALLROOM was Michael Bennett's first directorial project three years after A Chorus Line. BALLROOM was the winner of the 1979 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Choreography and was nominated for 8 Tony Awards and 7 Drama Desk Awards.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

Theatre Marquee for Dorothy Loudon starring in a Michael Bennett production of BALLROOM with Vincent Gardenia at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. 1979