Description
This is a rare March 1979 playbill from the National Tour engagement of the MARVIN HAMLISCH, EDWARD KLEBAN, JAMES KIRKWOOD, NICHOLAS DANTE and MICHAEL BENNETT musical "A CHORUS LINE" at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Originally part of the New York Shakespeare Festival season, the production opened April 15th, 1975 at the Off-Broadway Newman Theatre and quickly made plans to move to New York's Sam S. Shubert Theatre on July 25th, 1975.) ..... "A Chorus Line" was an unprecedented box office and critical success, receiving 12 Tony Award nominations and winning nine Tony's, in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It ran for 6,137 performances, becoming the longest-running production in Broadway history up to that time ..... The Original Broadway Cast included DONNA McKECHNIE (Tony Award winner) as "Cassie", SCOTT ALLEN, RENEE BAUGHMAN, CAROLE BISHOP (Tony Award winner), PAMELA BLAIR, WAYNE CILENTO, CHUCK CISSEL, CLIVE CLERK, KAY COLE, RONALD DENNIS, DONNA DRAKE, BRANDT EDWARDS, PATRICIA GARLAND, CAROLYN KIRSCH, RON KUHLMAN, NANCY LANE, BAAYORK LEE, PRISCILLA LOPEZ, ROBERT LuPONE, CAMERON MASON, JOHN MINEO, DON PERCASSI, CAROLE SCHWEID, MICHAEL SERRECCHIA, MICHEL STUART, THOMAS J. WALSH, SAMMY WILLIAMS (Tony Award winner) and CRISSY WILZAK. (Note: The cast of the National Tour is listed in alphabetical order in the second scanned image and included BEBE NEUWIRTH who made her professional stage debut in "A Chorus Line".) ..... CREDITS: Music by MARVIN HAMLISCH; Lyrics by EDWARD KLEBAN; Book by JAMES KIRKWOOD and NICHOLAS DANTE; Sets designed by ROBIN WAGNER; Costumes designed by THEONI V. ALDREDGE; Conceived, Choreographed and Directed by MICHAEL BENNETT; Produced by JOSEPH PAPP and the NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ..... DETAILS: The 32 page playbill measures 5 5/8" X 9" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes, list of musical numbers, bios of each of the leading actors and members of the creative team and wonderful vintage advertising, but no cast photos ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light edge wear, this playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
