Charlotte d'Amboise & Michael Berresse Set for B'way's Upcoming A Chorus Line

Tony-nominated actors Charlotte d'Amboise and Michael Berresse are set to play Cassie and Zach, respectively, in the upcoming Broadway revival of A Chorus Line., according to The New York Times.

D'Amboise recently left the company of Chicago, a show in which she has performed on and off for years. She won a Fred Astaire Award for her performance in the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees and earned a Tony nomination for Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Her other Broadway credits include Carrie, Song and Dance, Cats and Contact. At one point, she was also supposed to headline the recent Broadway revival of Sweet Charity, but instead she played the very beginning of the show's run and served as Christina Applegate's standby.

Berresse is currently appearing in The Light in the Piazza. He was nominated for Tony, Astaire and Outer Critics Awards for his performance as Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate. He also earned an Olivier Award nomination when he appeared in the tuner in the West End. Berresse originated the role of Fred Casely in the Broadway revival of Chicago before taking over as Billy Flynn both on Broadway and on tour. His other Broadway credits include Damn Yankees, Guys and Dolls, Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof and The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm. Berresse appeared on the big screen in AI: Artificial Intelligence. He will soon direct and choreograph the musical [title of show] at the Vineyard Theatre.

A Chorus Line, the legendary musical about a lineup of Broadway gypsies baring their souls for a grueling audition, features a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch who will orchestrate the revival and lyrics by Edward Kleban. A Chorus Line was originally conceived by director/choreographer Michael Bennett out of a series of interviews with Broadway dancers. It premiered at the Public Theater under the watchful eye of producer Joseph Papp in early 1975 and quickly became the must-see show of that season. A Chorus Line opened ln Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on July 25, 1975 with Donna McKechnie as Cassie and Robert LuPone as Zach. It remained at the theater for a record-breaking run that lasted until April 28, 1990 running a total of 6,137 performances. It won nine 1976 Tony Awards including Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Richard Attenborough's film adaptation of the show premiered in 1985.

The revival is expected to recreate the look and feel of Michael Bennett's legendary bare bones staging for A Chorus Line. The new production will be directed by Bob Avian, who co-choreographed the original staging with Bennett. Also on board for the new production are original creative team members composer Hamlisch and set designer Robin Wagner.

A Chorus Line is scheduled to open on the Great White Way on September 21, 2006 following a late summer tryout at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.