'A Chorus Line' Returns to Curran

SHN is honored that A Chorus Line will return to its beloved "hometown" San Francisco, where the show launched its original national tour at the Curran Theatre in 1976. San Francisco and the Curran Theatre once again hosted A Chorus Line in 2006 for a triumphant world premiere of a brand new production. That 2006 new production of A Chorus Line marked the first time the show returned to Broadway since its historic run ended over 15 years ago. A Chorus Line, returning again to its home stage at the Curran Theatre, is presented as a special engagement of the 2007-2008 Citibank Best of Broadway season under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays. Tickets go on sale Sunday, May 4th.

Winner of 9 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, A Chorus Line showcases a group of working dancers auditioning for a Broadway musical while revealing their individual stories, personal joys and disappointments.

The new production of A Chorus Line reclaimed its place in the heart of Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 W 45th St) where it opened to rave reviews on October 5, 2006.  On February 21, 2007 it was announced A Chorus Line recouped its entire $8 million investment after running only 157 performances (19 weeks) since opening on Broadway. It's broken the theatre's box office record 7 times in its first 5 months on Broadway. On January 4, 2008, A Chorus Line celebrated its 500th performance and is now in its second year on Broadway.

The National tour cast features Clyde Alves (Mike), Venny Carranza (Roy), John Carroll (Larry), Emily Fletcher (Sheila), Stephanie Gibson (Judy), Michael Gruber (Zach), Natalie Hall (Val), Derek Hanson (Don), Holly Howard (Maggie), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Mark), Julie Kotarides (Vicki), Denis Lambert (Greg), Jessica Latshaw (Kristine), Ian Liberto (Bobby), Stephanie Martignetti (Tricia), Sterling Masters (Lois), Pilar Millhollen (Bebe), Colt Prattes (Al), Gabrielle Ruiz (Diana), Clifton Samuels (Tom), Kevin Santos (Paul), Nikki Snelson (Cassie), Anthony Wayne (Richie), J.R. Whittington (Butch), Jessica Wu (Connie) and swing performers Colin Bradbury, Erica Mansfield, Rebecca Riker and Alex Ringler.

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. 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 is the first major Broadway musical to be born out of a workshop process and would go on to set the stage for new models of developing musicals. Weaving together and overlapping the dancers' stories, melding direction and choreography to tell these stories and incorporating cinematic elements of staging became signatures of Michael Bennett's ground-breaking new style that would change Broadway musicals forever.

To experience what goes on backstage at SHN shows, go to http://shnsf.com/podcast/index.asp and listen to Backstage, the SHN podcast series, to hear interviews with members of the creative teams or actors for all SHN productions.

Tickets for A Chorus Line will range in price from $25 to $99 and beginning Sunday, May 4, tickets can be purchased online at shnsf.com, through Ticketmaster by calling (415) 512-7770, and at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers. Beginning Monday, May 5 tickets may also be purchased at the Curran Theatre Box Office (445 Geary between Taylor and Mason, Mon-Sat Noon – 6pm) and at the Orpheum Theatre Box Office (1192 Market at 8th St., Mon-Sat 10am – 6pm). Groups of 20 or more may order now by calling Group Sales at (415) 551-2020. To learn more about A CHORUS LINE and other SHN shows, please visit www.shnsf.com  

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