MICHAEL BENNETT DIRECTOR NICHOLAS DANTE WRITER

The longest-running show in Broadway history, A Chorus Line is about theater chorus dancers, known as "gypsies." It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1976, which was shared by the show's creators: Michael Bennett (right), Nicholas Dante (left), Marvin Hamlisch, James Kirkwood, and Edward Kleban. Their stories testify to the devastation AIDS has caused in the theater. The show closed in 1990 (after 6,137 performances), and by mid-1991 only Hamlisch, the composer, was still alive. The other four had died of AIDS. Michael Bennett (1943-1987), born Michael Bennett DeFiglia in Buffalo, New York, began his career as a "gypsy," dancing in such shows as West Side Story. He choreographed Promises, Promises (1968), Coco (1969), and Company (1970) before directing A Chorus Line, which was based on his original concept.

Nicholas Dante (1952-1991), born Conrado Morales, wrote A Chorus Line with Kirkwood. His own story as a poor, lonely, despised gay boy, who had performed as a female impersonator, provided the show with an extremely poignant episode.

James Kirkwood (1924-1989), co-author of A Chorus Line, was a writer and performer on stage, film, and TV. His novels which he adapted for stage or screen included There Must Be a Pony, Good Times/Bad Times, Some Kind of Hero, and P.S Your Cat is Dead.

Edward Kleban (1938-1987) was a producer for Columbia Records before going into the theater. When A Chorus Line opened, he had been paid only $500 for the lyrics he had written and did not know the show would make him a fortune. He was a noted teacher of composers, librettists, and lyricists.

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AIDS AWARENESS: PEOPLE WITH AIDS

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MICHAEL BENNETT/NICHOLAS DANTE