Wicked is certainly a popular piece of entertainment that will likely run for many years, however it can't be compared to a Pulitzer prize-winning, 9-time Tony winning masterpiece that changed musical theatre forever (the explosion of triple threat talent -- and schools and training to support that -- and the establishment of the workshop as an integral part of the developmental process of new musicals are just two of its major innovations).
While Wicked can be credited with introducing and popularizing musical theatre to many teenage girls, A Chorus Line not only popularized theatre (it was the first show that millions of kids and young adults saw and has inspired a generation or two to become performers, choreographers and directors -- or merely theatre lovers), according to many experts (including executives of the Shubert Organization) it single-handedly came along and saved Broadway as an entity at a time when it was in dire straits.
In the early and mid-70s Broadway was in a severe financial crisis: New York City was bankrupt (literally), Time Square was overrun with crime, tourism was at an all-time low and hit shows were few and far between. The Shuberts, which owns half of the theatres on Broadway, was at a crisis and was beginning to question whether it and its theatres could survive. The megahit of A Chorus Line which generated not only ticket sales, but massive international press -- the sort that Broadway hadn't gotten in years (including the covers of Time and Newsweek simultaneously and countless tv shows) -- is now seen by many as the spark that began Broadway's resurgence (and the Shuberts say it saved their company and their theatres).
Bottom line, few shows in history have ever had the artistic, social and financial impact that A Chorus Line has had upon the American theatre and beyond, and that deserves respect -- certainly more respect than has been shown by the person who initiated this thread and some of the sentiments that followed.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 7/20/06 at 09:42 AM
.jpg?format=auto&width=300)
