1975. The Broadway musical is maturing and evolving, and while it's probing deeper than ever before, this new style of musical has yet to produce a record-breaking smash. Enter A Chorus Line. The first show to set any number of performance records, A Chorus Line was an unlikely smash, seeing as it had no famous stars, was written by a group of relatively unknown theatrical creators, and was about dancers at an audition. And yet, director and choreogreapher Michael Bennett saw the potential in the everyday struggles of Broadway dancers, and he turned it into a landmark. In this episode, we talk about the destruction of the fourth wall in "At the Ballet" with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Ed Kleban. All clips are from the 2015 40th anniversary celebration remaster of the original cast album of A Chorus Line featuring Kelly Bishop, Nancy Lane, and Kay Cole and are protected by the Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for criticism and commentary. All rights reserved to the copyright owners. Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify! Follow SMSTS on Instagram: @somuchstufftosing Email the show: [email protected]

Recommended Reading/Viewing:

Ethan Mordden, Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theater (Mordden's other volumes are also excellent resources for more in-depth discussion)

Broadway: The American Musical Record Breaking Performance of A Chorus Line featuring Kelly Bishop and Kay Cole

Audra McDonald, Megan Hilty, and Kelli O'Hara

Seth Rudetsky Deconstructs "At the Ballet"