Broadway’s former longest running musical, A Chorus Line, is bursting back on to the West End stage at the world famous London Palladium. Michael Bennett’s nine time Tony Award winning production began previews on February 5th with its all-singing, all-dancing press night on Tuesday the 19th February. This production is the first revival of A Chorus Line since it premiered in London in 1976, winning itself an Oliver Award for Best New Musical. The show is directed by West End veteran Bob Avian, who co-choreographed the original 70’s production. The revival features some of the musical’s most celebrated show numbers such as “I Can do That,” “I Hope I Get It,” “What I Did for Love,” “Nothing,” and of course, “One (Singular Sensation).”

The show is a fitting tribute to A Chorus Line’s original composer, Marvin Hamlisch who sadly passed away in August 2012. Hamlisch was a great friend of the London Palladium theatre owner, Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has since paid tribute to his friend as well as expressing his enthusiasm for the revival.

Cast and Creatives

‘Eastenders’ star John Partridge takes on the role of tyrannical director Zach. Appearing as his on-off girlfriend, Cassie, who is auditioning for the show is Scarlett Strallen, who previously led the cast of Singin’ in the Rain at the Palace Theatre. After starring in Flashdance the musical, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt plays Diana, a sassy Puerto Rican dancer who sings the classic “What I Did for Love.” Leigh Zimmerman returns to the West End as Sheila, an ageing diva, after appearing as Velma Kelly in Chicago. They are joined by Lucy Adcock (Judy), Georgie Ashford (Trisha), Ed Currie (Bobby), Frances Dee (Kristine), Segun Fawole (Butch), Harry Francis (Mark), Simon Hardwick (Al), Rebecca Herszenhon (Val), James T Lane (Richie), Vicki Lee Taylor (Maggie), Daisy Maywood (Bebe), Alastair Postlethwaite (Larry), Andy Rees (Greg), Adam Salter (Mike), Alexzandra Sarmiento (Connie), Michael Steedon (Tom), Gary Watson (Don), Gary Wood (Paul), Rebecca Giocopazzi, Genevieve Nicole and Ashley Nottingham. Alice Jane Murray and Marc Leslie also join the company after being picked out of hundreds of hopefuls who attended the revival’s open auditions at the London Palladium.

An Interview With Baayork Lee

Cheap Theatre Tickets managed to sit down with famed choreographer Baayork Lee as the cast of A Chorus Line was finalised. In this exclusive interview, Baayork discusses the casting process, how the show came into being, and her excitement at returning to the London Palladium, where she made her West End debut.

Synopsis and Songs

The show opens on an empty stage at a Broadway theatre in 1975. As the lights come up, an audition in underway. We see the Director Zach and dancer Larry put a group of hopefuls through their paces, all hoping to be part of the chorus in the next Broadway hit. As dancers are cut, we are left with a line of 17. Instead of getting each individual to read lines, Zach decides to interview each member of the line, encouraging them to speak freely about their life as a dancer. As the group begin to loosen up, we hear a mix of songs and monologues from each character as the audition process progresses. One of Zach’s ex girlfriends Cassie is in the line and she begs him to put her back in the chorus, despite him saying she is too good. Through each interview, the audience learns exactly what it means to be a dancer, as the final 8 are selected. The structure of A Chorus Line was seen to be experimental at its first outing, as intead of the popular ‘book’ musicals of the day, the songs arrived naturally and organically. The score features a number of hit songs such as “I Can Do That”, “Dance: 10 Looks: 3″, “What I Did for Love” and the rousing “One”. A more detailed synopsis.

Show Length and Times

Performances of A Chorus Line run Monday – Saturday at 7.45pm and matinees (from February the 13th) are on Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm. The show lasts 2 hours and runs without an interval. Please note that the show features some mild sexual references. Children under the age of 5 will not be admitted into the auditorium.

Official Tickets

Official tickets for A Chorus Line at the London Palladium can be found by using the search form to the left of the page. Simply select the month you wish to see the show and the amount of tickets you require for various seating and pricing options.