For its final production of the year, Oakland University’s theatre program decided to cap off the season with “A Chorus Line.”

According to Playbill, “A Chorus Line” premiered on Broadway in 1975 and was lavished with a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony for Best Musical. The original production enjoyed a long run on Broadway, was made into a movie and has had countless revivals.  The music is by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and the book was written by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante.

The plot centers on a group of Broadway dancers trying out for an unnamed musical.  Partially inspired by the actor-dancers who played the original roles, the dancers’ personal backgrounds are revealed throughout the show. The reason the show has been so successful is the realness brought in by the original group of people who helped bring “A Chorus Line” to life.

David Bashaw, a junior musical theatre major who plays Zach in OU’s production, stressed the fact that when the audience comes to watch “A Chorus Line,” they are watching the hopes and dreams of the students performing it.

“Everyone has fears,” Bashaw said. “There are joys, triumphs, and I just really hope the audience takes away that how some of the characters feel like ‘there’s nothing else I’d rather do with my life than perform’ is also how we feel. It’s really us giving them an insight into what we do.”

Bashaw said his character, Zach, the director and choreographer, runs the audition process just like one theatre students would encounter in the real world, with a few twists. Just like real auditions, there will be tension, frustration, triumph and heartbreak.

“The show is a marathon,” said Emily Hadick, a junior musical theatre major who plays Cassie. She played a different role in “A Chorus Line” in a theatre in Ohio over the summer and admitted it was “exhausting,” but Hadick developed her craft even more and said it was worth being tired all the time.

“It made me realize how dedicated you have to be to do this show successfully,” Hadick said.

Like Bashaw, Hadick hopes that the audience that comes to see the show will understand the minds of the performers and why they chose the career path they did.

“’A Chorus Line’ is really a show where performers get to tell their story,” she said. “I think what we really want is for the audience to see our story, understand it . . . and support it. People don’t understand how much you put yourself on the line when you go into this line of work.”

“A Chorus Line” opens Thursday, March 23 in the Varner Studio Theatre in Varner Hall and runs until April 2. Tickets cost $12 for students and can be purchased at the box office in Varner Hall, which is open from 3-6 p.m. on weekdays, and through the Star Tickets website. For more information, visit the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance’s website.