Born just eight days after the premiere of "Oklahoma!" which is often cited as the first musical to properly incorporate theatre dance.Dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to join a touring company of "West Side Story."Danced in many Broadway shows including "Subways Are for Sleeping" (1961), "Here's Love" (1963) and "Bajour" (1964).Won Broadway's Tony Award six times: as Best Director (Musical), along with collaborator Harold Prince , and as Best Choreographer, in 1972 for "Follies;" as Best Director (Musical) and Best Choreographer, along with Bob Avian , in 1976 for "A Chorus Line:"and as Best Choreographer, in 1974 for "Seesaw;" and in 1982, along with colaborator Michael Peters , for "Dreamgirls." He was also nominated ten other times: as Best Choreographer, in 1967 for "A Joyful Noise;" in 1968 for "Henry, Sweet Henry;" in 1969 for "Promises, Promises;" in 1970 for "Coco;" and in 1971 for "Company;" as Best Director (Musical) and Best Book (Musical), in 1974 for "Seesaw;" as Best Director (Musical) and Best Musical co-producer , in 1979 for "Ballroom;" and as Best Director (Musical) in 1982 for "Dreamgirls."As director, co-producer, co-author and co-Choreographer of "A Chorus Line" the show won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Tony Award (8), and the Pulitzer Prize. The show ran until April 28, 1990, running for 6,137 performances.Although the musical "Applause" introduced the first openly gay character in a show, Michael continued the trend and encouraged the appearances of gay characters in his shows as well, including "Seesaw" and "A Chorus Line."Signed on as the director of "Chess" but had to withdraw in January of 1986 due to illness.He died leaving a sizable portion of his estate to funding research to fight the AIDS epidemic.Met Donna McKechnie while she was a dancer on the "Hullabaloo" (1965) TV program. She later played his leading lady in "A Chorus Line" and they married (very briefly) a year after its successful opening. His other primary heterosexual relationship was with a woman named Sabine Cassel, whom he promised to marry but didn't.Well-known stage director, choreographer and dancer who reached his pinnacle with "A Chorus Line" in 1975, a semi-autobiographical tale of dancing Broadway gypsies.During the rehearsals of "A Chorus Line", he was dancing with the cast when he suddenly collapsed and began to writhe and cry out in pain. Several dancers stood in shock, several ran to his side, a few ran for pain killers and Bob Avian ran to call an ambulance. Within a minute, Michael had jumped back up on his feet and told them to remember what they had just done and how they felt. He later had the cast use this experience for the famous scene in "A Chorus Line" where Paul falls and injures his knee, taking him out of the running for a spot on the line. Although several cast members were furious at him for this stunt, it worked.Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 84-86. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.Won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical "A Chorus Line" collaborating with Nicholas Dante , James Kirkwood Jr. , Marvin Hamlisch and Ed Kleban .
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Follows the plight of real-life dancers as they struggle through auditions for the Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line". Also investigates the history of the show and the creative minds behind the original and current incarnations.