It’s been an epic run for the San Francisco Playhouse, which concludes its 20th Anniversary Season with the hit Broadway musical A Chorus Line.
In this groundbreaking work, twenty-four hopeful dancers undertake a grueling audition for eight coveted spots in the back-up chorus of an unnamed Broadway show. Exploring the inner lives and bittersweet ambitions of performers, A Chorus Line captures the spirit, tension, and hope of a high stakes audition.
Directed by Bill English with music direction by Dave Dobrusky and choreography by Nicole Helfer, A Chorus Line will perform through September 9, 2023 at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street.
A Chorus Line was created from the real-life stories of working Broadway dancers, including eight who appeared in the original cast. Their deeply personal tales, shared in workshop sessions hosted by dancers Michon Peacock and Tony Stevens, caught the attention of director/choreographer Michael Bennett who had also been considering a show centered on the singular life of chorus dancers.
A Chorus Line’s 1975 Broadway debut changed the face of musical theatre, with The New York Times proclaiming, “It is an occasion of joy, an affirmation of Broadway and a smoke‐signal to the world that the musical can touch unexpected depths in the human heart.” The show has also been credited with literally saving Broadway, which was struggling with attendance at an all-time low of 6.6 million before the show premiered. A Chorus Line helped bring in 8.8 million playgoers the following year, became the centerpiece of a New York City tourist promotion, led to the revitalization of Times Square, and went on to run for an unprecedented 15 years.
In 1983 it became the longest running musical in Broadway history, a title it held for another 14 years until it was finally surpassed by Cats. The show won nine Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, four Drama Desk awards, and three Obie Awards. Of this enduring classic, Time Out said, “The show remains an enormously powerful and affecting piece of work: one of Broadway’s all-time greats, with more kick than most other shows combined.”
San Francisco Playhouse’s new production is several years in the making—it was originally scheduled to be presented in its 2020-21 season before being cancelled due to theatre closures during the pandemic.
For tickets ($15-$100) and more information, the public may visit sfplayhouse.org or call the box office at 415-677-9596.