Broadway said goodbye Saturday to "A Chorus Line" in an emotional final performance that included tears, cheers and a standing ovation for the musical's cast, past and present.
"This show is dedicated to anyone who has ever danced in a chorus or marched in step anywhere," said producer Joseph Papp as the show ended a 15-year run of 6,137 performances, the longest in Broadway history. "Take a final bow, `Chorus line,' " Papp said.There were wild applause after every musical number and at the end of the show, the audience cheered throughout the finale.
Papp began a roll call of all the performers in the current production and then brought on stage all the dancers who were in the original 1975 production.
Theatergoers then roared their approval as a photo of Michael Bennett, the show's director and choreographer appeared on stage. Bennett died of AIDS in 1987 at the age of 44.
The sold-out evening benefited the New York Shakespeare Festival, which produced the musical. Tickets were priced from $80 to $500.
Papp announced the pending closure in February, citing declining ticket sales. At first he said it would close at the end of March, but a surge of last-minute ticket sales pushed the closing date back four weeks.
Since then, it has become one of the most financially successful shows ever. Variety pegged its total profit as of February 1990 at more than $50 million, the second highest in U.S. theater history after "Cats."
*****
(Additional information)
Broadway run was longest
The five longest-running Broadway shows: "A Chorus Line," 6,137 performances; "Oh! Calcutta!," 5,959; "42nd Street," 3,486; "Grease," 3,388, and "Fiddler on the Roof," 3,242.