Photo Flash: A CHORUS LINE At The Ford Center

A CHORUS LINE reclaimed its place in the heart of Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre where it opened to rave reviews on October 5, 2006. Elysa Gardner of USA Today calls it "Exhilarating and endearing, it still has a freshness and fervency too seldom seen in contemporary musicals," while The New York Daily News exclaims "There's nothing better! The show thrills from the opening number to the glittering finale," and Jeffrey Lyons of WNBC TV hails it "An American Masterpiece. A show for the ages." A CHORUS LINE is directed by its original Tony Award winning co-choreographer Bob Avian and is produced by John F. Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions.

The National tour cast features Deanna Aguinaga (Lois), Clyde Alves (Mike), Venny Carranza (Roy), Dena DiGiacinto (Bebe), Liza Domingo (Connie), Mindy Dougherty (Val), Derek Hanson (Don), Hollie Howard (Maggie), David Hull (Mark), Jordan Fife Hunt (Frank), Robyn Hurder (Cassie), Julie Kotarides (Vicki), Sebastian La Cause (Zach), Jessica Latshaw (Kristine), Shannon Lewis (Sheila), Ian Liberto (Bobby), Stephanie Martignetti (Tricia), Bethany Moore (Judy), Colt Prattes (Al), Alex Ringler (Greg), Gabrielle Ruiz (Diana), Clifton Samuels (Tom), Kevin Santos (Paul), Brandon Tyler (Larry), Anthony Wayne (Richie), J.R. Whittington (Butch) and swing performers Colin Bradbury, Erica Mansfield, Rebecca Riker and Amos Wolff.

A CHORUS LINE recouped its entire $8 million investment after only 157 performances (19 weeks) on Broadway. It broke the theatre's box office record 7 times in its first 5 months. The show ended its Broadway run on August 17, 2008 after 18 previews and 759 regular performances.

A CHORUS LINE, conceived and originally choreographed and directed by Michael Bennett, features a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. For this new production, Baayork Lee re-stages the original choreography.

The new production features scenery by Robin Wagner, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, lighting by Tharon Musser adapted by Natasha Katz and sound by Acme Sound Partners. Musical supervision is by Patrick Vaccariello with musical direction by John O'Neill, orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick, Billy Byers and Hershy Kay and vocal arrangements are by Don Pippin. The new 2006 Broadway cast recording of A CHORUS LINE was released by Masterworks Broadway and is available in stores nationwide.

The original production of A CHORUS LINE opened at the Public Theater's Newman Theatre on May 21, 1975 and transferred to Broadway's Shubert Theatre on July 25th, opening there on October 19th of that year. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Score and Book, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. It ran for nearly 15 years, closing on April 28, 1990 after 6,137 performances. A CHORUS LINE remains the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

A CHORUS LINE will play at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St., Chicago) April 14 to May 3, 2009. The performance schedule is as follows:

Individual tickets range in price from $18 to $85. A select number of premium seats are also available. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.); the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400; all Ticketmaster retail locations (including Hot Tix and select Carson Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores); and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Tickets are available to groups of 20 or more by calling (312) 977-1710.

For more information visit www.AChorusLine.com or www.BroadwayInChicago.com

Photos by Paul Kolnick

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