A CHORUS LINE Comes To NJPAC, Closes 5/1

That "one, singular sensation" - A CHORUS LINE - which wowed audiences and raked in awards with its 1975 premiere and reclaimed its place in Broadway's heart with a new production in 2006, comes to NJPAC's Prudential Hall from April 26th to May 1st. Directed and restaged by the 1975 production's original cast member Baayork Lee, A CHORUS LINE tells the timeless stories of dancers who put it all on the line as they audition for the chance to shine under the bright lights of Broadway. The cast includes New Jersey natives Erica Cenci as Bebe and Eric Carsia as Don.

A CHORUS LINE closes at NJPAC Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $24 to $100 and may be purchased by telephone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC (1-888-466-5722), by visiting the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark, or online at www.njpac.org. A CHORUS LINE is made possible in part by Cadillac, TDBank, New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Discover Jersey Arts. It is the third production to come out of NJPAC's Broadway series partnership with the Nederlander Organization.

Elysa Gardner of USA Today called A CHORUS LINE "Exhilarating and endearing, it still has a freshness and fervency too seldom seen in contemporary musicals," while The New York Daily News said the show "thrills from the opening number to the glittering finale" and Jeffrey Lyons of WNBC TV hailed it "An American Masterpiece." A CHORUS LINE was directed by its original Tony Award winning co-choreographer Bob Avian. For this new production, Baayork Lee directed and re-staged the choreography.

This production of 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. Its Broadway run ended on August 17, 2008 after 18 preview 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.

The new production features original scenery by Robin Wagner, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, lighting by Tharon Musser adapted by Natasha Katz and sound by Shannon Slaton. Orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick, Billy Byers and Hershy Kay and vocal arrangements are by Don Pippin. The 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. 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.

For more information, go to www.achorusline.com.

The Nederlander Organization was established in 1912 by David Nederlander and is a privately held and owned company by James M. Nederlander and James L. Nederlander Jr. who own and/or operate world renowned theaters in the United States and England including in New York; the Brooks Atkinson, the Gershwin, the Lunt-Fontanne, the Marquis, the Minskoff, the Nederlander, the Neil Simon, the Palace and the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. In addition, the company is a major producer of national touring theatre productions. For more information go to www.nederlander.com or www.nederlanderconcerts.com.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. As New Jersey's Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit www.njpac.org for more information.

Programming has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by Discover Jersey Arts.

NJPAC is a wheelchair accessible facility and provides assistive services for patrons with disabilities. For more information, call 888-GO-NJPAC.

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