Dancing with the Stars Finalist Mario Lopez Will Join A Chorus Line

Mario Lopez, runner-up in the 2006 season of Dancing with the Stars and now host of Extra TV, will make his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line on April 15 as Zach, the demanding director who is casting the chorus roles for a new Broadway musical. Lopez has signed on through September 7 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

"Mario is an enormously talented actor and dancer and we are thrilled to have him make his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line," producer John Breglio said in a statement. "His talents and charm will transfer beautifully to the Broadway stage."

"Every actor dreams about appearing on a Broadway stage. I have as well, and have been searching for the right time and opportunity," Lopez said in a statement. "A Chorus Line is a legendary musical and I am so honored to have been chosen to join the amazing cast and be a part of the Broadway family."

Lopez began his career at 16 as high school jock A. C. Slater on the hit NBC comedy series Saved by the Bell. He placed second losing to Emmitt Smith in the 2006 edition of Dancing with the Stars and went on to host Extra TV and MTV's Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew. His TV movies include Holiday in Handcuff, the highest rated program ABC Family history, and Husband for Hire, the most watched program ever on the Oxygen Network. Other film and TV credits include Outta Time, King Rikki, Colors, Depraved, Eastside, Pacific Blue, Nip/Tuck, The Bold and the Beautiful, George Lopez, Mind of Mencia, Popular, The Golden Girls, Kids Incorporated and Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story.

The current revival of A Chorus Line opened on October 5, 2006, directed by its original Tony Award winning co-choreographer Bob Avian, with the original choreography re-staged by Baayork Lee. The show is produced by John Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions.

A Chorus Line will launch a national tour at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts May 6-17, followed by a seven-week engagement at The Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, May 21-July 6, 2008. The tour will continue in Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon; Costa Mesa; Seattle; Toronto and Washington, DC.