Late one night in 1974, director and choreographer Michael Bennett gathered a group of Broadway dancers and asked them to share their stories—their childhood memories, insecurities, struggles in the industry, and dreams that kept them going despite constant rejection.

Those taped conversations would eventually inspire A Chorus Line.

When the musical premiered on Broadway in 1975, it changed theater history. With music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante, the show shifted the spotlight from stars to the anonymous dancers usually standing in the back row.

Instead of a glamorous showbiz story, A Chorus Line became something more intimate—a portrait of performers fighting for a place onstage.

The musical would go on to become one of Broadway’s most celebrated works, earning multiple Tony Awards and the rare distinction of winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The story

The premise is simple: a group of dancers are competing for eight spots in the chorus line of a new show. Their director, Zach, asks them to do something unusual during the audition: talk about themselves.

One by one, the dancers step forward and reveal deeply personal stories—Cassie, a former star trying to return to the chorus; Paul, who shares a painful coming-of-age story that becomes the emotional centerpiece of the show; and Diana, who reflects on finally finding confidence after years of rejection.

By the end of the audition, the dancers have laid their lives bare, yet the outcome is blunt and unsentimental. Only a few are chosen.

Once they step into costume, their individuality disappears as they move in perfect unison. Just another chorus line.

A global Filipino cast

Five decades later, the musical returns to the stage in Manila, this time with a cast that brings together Filipino performers from around the world.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of A Chorus Line, Theatre Group Asia (TGA) is staging a new production this month at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

Known for bringing world-class Filipino talents together in productions like Request Sa Radyo and Into the Woods, TGA’s staging gathers Filipino performers from across the globe.

Directed and choreographed by Emmy Award-winner Karla Puno Garcia, the musical is led by a powerhouse Filipino cast, including Tony Award nominee and two-time Grammy Award nominee Conrad Ricamora as Zach, and Filipino-American Broadway "triple threat" Lissa DeGuzman as Cassie.

The full cast was selected through an extensive global search spanning New York and key Philippine cities, culminating in an intensive Manila bootcamp under Puno Garcia’s direction.

Serving as associate director is Jamie Wilson, while associate choreographer JM Cabling has been part of the process from the very beginning—from the New York workshops through every audition city. Cabling is also an Asian Cultural Council grantee for dance.

The visual world of the production is shaped by London- and New York–based set designer Miguel Urbino and New York–based costume designer Kat Ibasco. Lighting design is led by Cha See, the first Filipina to head lighting design for a major Broadway production with Oh, Mary!, while sound design is by Megumi Katayama, fresh from her recent work on New York City Center’s Encores! series. Bringing Marvin Hamlisch’s iconic score to life is music director Farley Asuncion.

A shared mission

Christopher Mohnani, one of TGA’s founders, said during a recent press conference that the company’s 2026 season has truly been a “banner year.”

“We are ambitious in our goals and are very steadfast in our mission, where Filipino artists from around the world can come together to present world-class theater we can play as our own. For us, this is just not about staging beloved musicals. It's about creating more opportunities for Filipino talent to shine and making sure local audiences have access to performances of this scale and quality.”