name	A Chorus Line
director	Richard Attenborough
producer	Cy Feuer
screenplay	Arnold Schulman
based on
starring	Michael DouglasAlyson Reed
music	Marvin HamlischEdward Kleban
cinematography	Ronnie Taylor
editing	John Bloom
studio	Embassy Film AssociatesPolyGram Filmed Entertainment
distributor	Columbia Pictures
released
runtime	113 minutes
country
language	English
budget	$25 million
gross	$14,202,899 }}

''A Chorus Line'' is a 1985 musical film directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Michael Douglas. The screenplay by Arnold Schulman is based on the Tony Award-winning book of the 1975 stage production of the same name by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante. The songs were composed by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban.

Plot

A group of dancers congregate on the stage of a Broadway theatre to audition for a new musical production directed by Zach (Michael Douglas). After the initial eliminations, seventeen hopefuls remain, among them Cassie (Alyson Reed), who once had a tempestuous romantic relationship with Zach. She is desperate enough for work to humble herself and audition for him; whether he's willing to let professionalism overcome his personal feelings about their past remains to be seen.

As the film unfolds, the backstory of each of the dancers is revealed. Some are funny, some ironic, some heartbreaking. No matter what their background, however, they all have one thing in common - a passion for dance.

Cast

Michael Douglas as Zach, choreographer

Alyson Reed as Cassie

Terrence Mann as Larry, assistant choreographer

Sharon Brown as Kim, Zach's secretary

;Dancers

Michael Blevins as Mark Tobori

Yamil Borges as Diana Morales

Jan Gan Boyd as Connie Wong

Gregg Burge as Richie Walters

Cameron English as Paul San Marco

Tony Fields as Al DeLuca

Nicole Fosse as Kristine Evelyn Erlich-DeLuca

Vicki Frederick as Sheila Bryant

Michelle Johnston as Beatrice Ann "Bebe" Benson

Janet Jones as Judy Monroe

Pam Klinger as Maggie Winslow

Audrey Landers as Val Clarke

Charles McGowan as Mike Cass

Justin Ross as Greg Gardner

Blane Savage as Don Kerr

Matt West as Bobby Mills

Musical numbers

# "I Hope I Get It" - Entire cast -- Contains new sections of music not in the original stage version # "Who Am I Anyway?" - Paul -- his solo, originally part of "I Hope I Get It" # "I Can Do That" - Mike # "At the Ballet" - Sheila, Bebe and Maggie -- The soundtrack contains an extended version not heard in the film # "Surprise, Surprise" - Richie and dancers -- Replaces "Hello 12, Hello 13, Hello Love" and "Gimme The Ball", although one verse of the song is heard in the film. The monologues of Mark, Connie, Judy, and Greg which are part of this number are performed in other parts of the film sans music # "Nothing" - Diana # "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" - Val # "Let Me Dance for You" Cassie -- replaces her song "The Music and the Mirror", although part of the instrumental section remains the same # "One" (rehearsal) - entire cast # "What I Did for Love" - Cassie -- Sung counterpoint to the Tap Combination. In the stage version, the company performs the number, with Diana leading. # "One" (Finale) - entire cast

The songs "And...", "Sing!", and "The Tap Combination" from the stage version are eliminated in the film, as well as most of "The Montage" (Hello 12, Hello 13, Hello Love)

Production

Following the smash success of the Broadway production, Hollywood producers expressed interest in a motion picture version of the musical. Many directors turned down the project, insisting that not only was ''A Chorus Line'' too beloved, but it would not translate well to the screen. Even Michael Bennett, the stage musical's director, declined to participate when his proposal to present the film as an audition to cast the movie version of the stage play, instead of a literal translation of the play, was rejected. When Attenborough accepted the project, there was some apprehension as to the treatment the British director would give the musical's quintessentially American story.

The decision to tamper with the score disappointed fans of the show. "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love," "Sing!," and "The Music and the Mirror" were deleted and new songs "Surprise, Surprise" and "Let Me Dance For You" were added. The show's breakout tune, "What I Did for Love," originally was performed as a paean to dancers and their dedication to their craft. In the film it becomes a love song delivered by Cassie to Zach.

The stage musical was one of the first to address the subject of gay actors within the theatre business, but most overt references to it were eliminated from the film in order to generate a more family-friendly rating.

The dance numbers were choreographed by Jeffrey Hornaday.

Critical reception

In his review in ''The New York Times'', Vincent Canby observed, "Though it was generally agreed that ''Hair'' would not work as a film, Milos Forman transformed it into one of the most original pieces of musical cinema of the last 20 years. Then they said that ''A Chorus Line'' couldn't be done - and this time they were right . . . Mr. Attenborough has elected to make a more or less straightforward film version that is fatally halfhearted."

Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' stated, "The result may not please purists who want a film record of what they saw on stage, but this is one of the most intelligent and compelling movie musicals in a long time - and the most grown up, since it isn't limited, as so many contemporary musicals are, to the celebration of the survival qualities of geriatric actresses."

''Variety'' said, "''Chorus'' often seems static and confined, rarely venturing beyond the immediate. Attenborough merely films the stage show as best he could. Nonetheless, the director and lenser Ronnie Taylor have done an excellent job working within the limitations, using every trick they could think of to keep the picture moving. More importantly, they have a fine cast, good music and a great, popular show to work with. So if all they did was get it on film, that's not so bad."

''Time Out London'' says, "The grit and drive of the original have been dissipated into studiously unkempt glitz as empty as plasticised pop . . . It's too corny and unbelievable for words."

Awards

;Nominations

Academy Award for Best Original Song ("Surprise, Surprise")

Academy Award for Best Film Editing

Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture

BAFTA Award for Best Sound

BAFTA Award for Best Editing

References

External links

Category:1985 films Category:1980s drama films Category:1980s musical films Category:American LGBT-related films Category:American musical drama films Category:English-language films Category:Films directed by Richard Attenborough Category:Films about entertainers Category:Columbia Pictures films

de:A Chorus Line (Film) et:Kordeballett (film) it:Chorus Line ja:コーラスライン (映画) pl:A Chorus Line pt:A Chorus Line (filme) ru:Кордебалет (фильм)

birthname	Carole Bishop
birth date	February 28, 1944
birth place	Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
occupation	Actress
spouse	Lee Leonard (1981-present)Peter Miller (divorced)
yearsactive	1962–present
website	}}

Carole “Kelly” Bishop (born February 28, 1944) is an American actress, who is best known for her role as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series ''Gilmore Girls'', and for her role as Jennifer Grey's mother in the film ''Dirty Dancing''. She is also well remembered for her Tony-winning performance as Sheila in ''A Chorus Line''.

Early life

Bishop was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Jane Lenore (née Wahtola) and Lawrence Boden Bishop. She grew up in Denver, Colorado, where she trained to be a ballet dancer, attending the American Ballet Theatre School and the San Jose Ballet School. At eighteen, she headed to New York City and landed her first job dancing in a year-round ballet company at Radio City Music Hall. Bishop continued to dance in Las Vegas, summer stock and on television until she was cast in 1967 in ''Golden Rainbow'', her first Broadway role.

Career

Bishop's big break came when she was cast as the sexy, hard-edged Sheila in the Broadway production of ''A Chorus Line''. Her performance earned her the 1976 Tony Award as "Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical)", as well as the 1976 Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Musical". She also acted in the Broadway productions of ''Six Degrees of Separation'', Neil Simon's ''Proposals'', the Tony Award-winning ''The Last Night of Ballyhoo'' and ''Bus Stop''. It wasn't long before she was cast opposite Jill Clayburgh in Paul Mazursky's big-screen drama ''An Unmarried Woman'' (1978).

In 1986, Bishop was initially cast in a much smaller part in the film ''Dirty Dancing'', but was then called upon to play Mrs. Houseman when Lynne Lipton, the actress assigned the role, fell ill during the first week of shooting.

Bishop went on to play "mom" to several high-profile stars in numerous features: Howard Stern's in the Betty Thomas-directed comedy ''Private Parts'' (1997), and Tobey Maguire's in ''Wonder Boys'' (2000). Her additional feature credits include ''Ich und Er'' (USA: ''Me and Him'', 1988), ''Queens Logic'' (1991), ''Café Society'' (1995), ''Miami Rhapsody'' (1995) and ''Blue Moon'' (2002). On television, Bishop starred in the Mike Nichols' ''The Thorns'' opposite Tony Roberts and Marilyn Cooper. She also played Lisa Ann Walter's mother on ''My Wildest Dreams''. She has guest-starred on ''Kate & Allie'', ''Law & Order'', ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and ''Murphy Brown''.

From 2000 to 2007, Bishop starred in the CW Television Network series ''Gilmore Girls'' as wealthy New England matriarch Emily Gilmore, mother of Lorelai and grandmother of Rory.

Bishop was most recently seen off-Broadway in the play, ''Becky Shaw'' at the Second Stage Theatre.

Personal life

Bishop resides in South Orange, New Jersey, where she lives with her husband, TV talk show host Lee Leonard.

References

External links

Kelly Bishop cast bio on The CW

Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Actors from Colorado Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:People from Boulder, Colorado Category:People from Colorado Springs, Colorado Category:People from South Orange, New Jersey Category:Theatre World Award winners Category:Tony Award winners Category:1944 births Category:Living people

cy:Kelly Bishop da:Kelly Bishop de:Kelly Bishop es:Kelly Bishop fr:Kelly Bishop it:Kelly Bishop nl:Kelly Bishop pl:Kelly Bishop pt:Kelly Bishop sv:Kelly Bishop

name	Donna McKechnie
birth date	November 16, 1940
birth place	Pontiac, Michigan, USA
occupation	Actor, dancer, choreographer
website	http://www.donnamckechnie.com
awards	}}

Donna McKechnie (born November 16, 1940) is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on her most noted role, "Cassie" from the musical ''A Chorus Line'', for which she earned the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1976. She is also known for playing Amanda Harris/Olivia Corey on the Gothic soap opera, ''Dark Shadows'' from 1969 to 1970.

Early life

McKechnie was born in Pontiac, Michigan where she began ballet classes at age five. Her earliest influence was the classic British ballet film ''The Red Shoes'' (1948), which prompted her, at age eight, to plan a career as a ballerina. She studied for many years at the Rose Marie Floyd School of Dance in Royal Oak. Despite her parents' strong misgivings, she moved to New York City when she was 17. Rejected after an audition for the American Ballet Theatre, she found employment in the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall but walked off the job on the day of dress rehearsal to do summer stock at the Carousel Theatre in Framingham, Massachusetts.

After doing a Welch's Grape Juice commercial and the first L'eggs stockings commercial, she was cast in a touring company of ''West Side Story''. In 1961, she made her Broadway debut in ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', where she met choreographer Bob Fosse and his wife, Gwen Verdon. A stint in a Philadelphia production of ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (as Philia) was followed by the NBC music series ''Hullabaloo'', where she was a featured dancer and met Michael Bennett, who became a guiding force in her life and career.

Broadway

In April, 1968, McKechnie was back on Broadway in the short-lived musical version of Leo Rosten's collection of short stories ''The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N'', which led to a featured role in Burt Bacharach and Hal David's ''Promises, Promises'', choreographed by Bennett. Along with Baayork Lee and Margo Sappington, she danced in one of Broadway's most famous numbers, Turkey Lurkey Time. It was here that she first attracted notice from critics and theatergoers alike. This was followed by a role in the touring company of ''Call Me Madam'', starring Ethel Merman.

Bennett showcased McKechnie again in Stephen Sondheim's ''Company'' (1970), where she danced ''Tick-Tock''. After leaving the Broadway cast, she reprised her role in the Los Angeles and London companies, and also toured in the 1971 revival of ''On the Town'' (as Ivy). In March 1973, she choreographed and performed in the highly acclaimed one-night-only concert ''Sondheim: A Musical Tribute'' at the Shubert Theatre in New York. In 1974, she co-starred with Richard Kiley and Bob Fosse in the unsuccessful musical film version of the classic ''The Little Prince''.

McKechnie was part of Bennett's group therapy-style workshops that evolved into the Broadway smash ''A Chorus Line'', in which she portrayed Cassie, a character based in great part on herself. She danced her third famous Bennett-McKechnie number, ''The Music and the Mirror'', in which the vocal sections were tailored to her unusually large range. Initially, Donna was to perform the number with four of her male co-stars but after four previews before opening, McKechnie voiced concern about dancing around the four guys and at the last moment, Bennett changed the direction to have McKechnie perform the song-dance number alone. Her performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The role of Maggie was also based on her life. She married Bennett in 1976, but after only a few months they separated and eventually divorced, remaining good friends until his death from AIDS in 1987.

In 1980, McKechnie was diagnosed with arthritis and told she never would dance again. She pursued various physical, psychological, and holistic healing remedies, and was well enough to return to the Broadway company of ''A Chorus Line'' in 1986. During the remainder of the 1980s she also toured in ''Sweet Charity'' and ''Annie Get Your Gun'', and she appeared in a London revival of ''Can-Can''. She also participated in the "Chorus Line" extravaganza to celebrate its then record-breaking run on Broadway in September 1983.

Later career

Her television work included a regular role on the Gothic soap opera, ''Dark Shadows'' early in her career, and after her rise to fame, guest appearances on ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King'', ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh In'' and ''Cheers'', plus the role of Suzi Laird on several ''Fame'' episodes.

In the early 1990s, McKechnie appeared off-Broadway twice, first in a revue entitled ''Cut the Ribbons'', followed by ''Annie Warbucks'', a less successful sequel to the hit ''Annie''. In 1993, she reunited with most of the original cast of ''Company'' for three concert performances. In 1996, she was awarded the Fred Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer for her performance in a Broadway adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's film ''State Fair''. In February, 1997, she played Phyllis in a concert performance of ''Follies'' at London's Drury Lane Theatre, and the following year took on the role of Sally in a production of that same show at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey.

In 2002, McKechnie starred in the pre-Broadway production of the Jerry Herman musical revue ''Showtune''. In recent years, she has toured periodically in her one-woman show ''Inside the Music'', a potpourri of songs, dances and anecdotes about her life in the theater and her successful battle with arthritis, directed by her old ''Chorus Line'' castmate, Thommie Walsh. Her autobiography, ''Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life'', written with Greg Lawrence, was published by Simon & Schuster on August 29, 2006, only weeks before the Broadway revival of ''A Chorus Line'' opened on October 5.

In June 2010 McKechnie appeared at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

McKechnie currently is on the faculty of HB Studio in New York City.

Awards and nominations

;Awards

1976 Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical – ''A Chorus Line''

1976 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical – ''A Chorus Line''

1976 Theatre World Special Award – ''A Chorus Line''

;Nominations

1996 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – ''State Fair''

References

Further reading

Mandelbaum, Ken (1990). ''A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett''. St Martins Press, ISBN 0312042809

Viagas, Robert (2nd edition, 1990). . ''On the Line - The Creation of A Chorus Line''. Limelight Editions, ISBN 0879103361

Stevens, Gary (2000). ''The Longest Line: Broadway's Most Singular Sensation: A Chorus Line''. (Applause Books, ISBN 1557832218

Flinn, Denny Martin (1989). ''What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of 'A Chorus Line' ''. Bantam, ISBN 0553345931

Kelly, Kevin (1990). ''One Singular Sensation: The Michael Bennett Story''. Doubleday, ISBN 038526125X

External links

Donna McKechnie official website

''Broadway Bullet'' interview with Donna McKechnie (October 19, 2006)

Donna McKechnie - ''Downstage Center'' interview at American Theatre Wing.org, October 2006

Career Guides: The Dancer at American Theatre Wing.org, April 2002

Return To Broadway ''Working in the Theatre Seminar'', April 1996

TonyAwards.com Interview with Donna McKechnie

Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American female singers Category:People from Detroit, Michigan Category:Tony Award winners Category:American dancers Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:1940 births Category:Living people

pt:Donna McKechnie