A Chorus Line Alums Kelly Bishop, Donna McKechnie & More Set for Marvin Hamlisch Tribute at Paper Mill Playhouse

Tony winners Kelly Bishop, Donna McKechnie and more alumni of A Chorus Line will perform in honor of Marvin Hamlisch, the musical's late composer, at the Paper Mill Playhouse. The tribute will be held on October 7, the opening night of the New Jersey theater’s previously announced production of A Chorus Line. Directly following the curtain call, Bishop, McKechnie and the alumni will join the Paper Mill Playhouse cast on stage as they reprise a section of the show's “Finale”.

Directed by Mitzi Hamilton, the Paper Mill Playhouse production of A Chorus Line will star Jessica Lee Goldyn as Cassie, Rachelle Rak as Sheila, Gabrielle Ruiz as Diana, Ashley Arcement as Val and Kyle Brown as Greg. The production began preview performances October 3.

A Chorus Line tells the story of 17 dancers auditioning for a Broadway chorus line, and originally opened at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre on July 25, 1975. Starring Bishop, Robert LuPone and Sammy Williams, the production earned the Pulitzer Prize and nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The production ran for 6,137 performances before closing on April 28, 1990. A Chorus Line was revived on Broadway in 2006 at the Schoenfeld Theatre, starring Goldyn as Val. Hamlisch passed away on August 6 at the age of 68.

Bishop earned a Tony Award for A Chorus Line. Her additional Broadway credits include Anything Goes, Proposals, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Bus Stop, Six Degrees of Separation, Precious Sons, On the Town, Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don’t You Forget It, Golden Rainbow and Promises, Promises. Her film and TV credits include Gilmore Girls, One Life to Live, Dirty Dancing, Wonder Boys and Bunheads.

McKechnie’s Broadway credits include State Fair, Company, On the Town, Promises, Promises, The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and A Chorus Line, for which she earned a Tony Award. Her film and TV credits include Dark Shadows, The Little Prince and 36 Saints.

Click below to see Bishop, McKechnie and the original cast of A Chorus Line perform "One" at the 1976 Tony Awards!