On this date in 1983, A Chorus Line became the longest-running Broadway musical to date, when its 3,389th performance broke the record previously held by Grease. A Chorus Line opened July 25, 1975, closed on Broadway in 1990, and was seen by more than 6.5 million people. Now after 16 years, it is back on Broadway.
In case there is anyone alive who hasn't seent either the live musical or the movie, the story is a simple one: A behind-the-scenes look at dancers auditioning for a Broadway show who slowly reveal the life histories that turned them into the dancers now trying to get a job. At the time, it seemed searing and original with themes that included age, sex, abuse, homosexuality, and racism. While the issues covered may now sound like a show on afternoon TV, they still have power, the dancing is magnificent, and the music remains one of the best scores written for a show.
