Tony Award winner Ted Sperling (The Light in the Piazza, See What I Wanna See) will direct the 8 PM gala performance at the Delacorte Theater, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of A Chorus Line. The musical premiered at the Public in 1975 prior to its Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway run.
Also announced to perform are John Lithgow, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Zachary Quinto, Martha Plimpton, Billy Porter, Jonathan Groff, Sutton Foster, Joshua Bell, Lindsay Mendez, Claybourne Elder, Krysta Rodriguez, Marissa McGowan, Laura Shoop, Peter Dugan, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Jessica Wu, Mylinda Hull, Brooke Sunny Moriber and Nicole Lewis.
In addition to A Chorus Line, the gala performance will offer selections of music from throughout Hamlisch's career. The multi-award winner, whose numerous compositions included They're Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Smell of Success, "The Way We Were," and more, died Aug. 6, 2012, at the age of 68.
"Marvin Hamlisch was one of the great spirits of American music, and A Chorus Line was a show that changed everything about how musicals were made," Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis said in a statement. "It also created The Public Theater we cherish today. This gala will honor that amazing show and thank Marvin Hamlisch for his extraordinary gifts to us all."
The gala will begin with cocktails at 5 PM followed by dinner in Central Park. The performance begins at 8 PM and will be followed by a dessert reception under the stars. Tickets to One Thrilling Combination start at $650 and are available for purchase by calling (212) 539-8634, on-line at publictheater.org, or via email at [email protected].