The show won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, one of the few musicals ever to receive this honor, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the season. Exploring the inner lives and ambitions of professional Broadway performers, the show features musical numbers including "What more...
I Did for Love, "One," "I Can Do That," "At the Ballet," "The Music and the Mirror," and "I Hope I Get It."
Opening Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on April 15, 1975, A Chorus Line, originally starring Donna McKechnie, Sammy Williams, Robert LuPone and Carole Bishop, transferred to the Shubert Theatre on Broadway on July 25, 1975 and ran for 6,137 performances before closing on April 28, 1990. On September 29, 1983, A Chorus Line became the longest-running show in Broadway history. In London it played 903 performances at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It was revived at the on Broadway in 2006 and played for 759 performances.
The original Broadway production ran for 6,137 performances, becoming the longest-running production in Broadway history until surpassed by Cats in 1997, and the longest-running Broadway musical originally produced in the US, until surpassed in 2011 by the revival of Chicago.
The production was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning nine: Best Musical, Best Musical Book, Best Score (Hamlisch and Kleban), Best Director, and Best Choreography, Best Actress (McKechnie), Best Featured Actor (Sammy Williams), Best Featured Actress (Bishop) and Best Lighting Design.