NEED TO KNOW
Kelly Bishop originated the role of Sheila Bryant in A Chorus Line
Bishop was among the members of the original cast who gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark musical
Bishop and Gilmore Girls costar Lauren Graham reunited at the 50th anniversary celebration
Kelly Bishop had the support of a very special guest on a very special night.
On Sunday, July 27, a slew of Broadway legends united to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark musical, A Chorus Line, at the Shubert Theatre, where it first opened on Broadway five decades earlier on July 25, 1975.
Bishop, known to so many as the beloved Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, originated the role of Sheila Bryant in the groundbreaking Broadway musical. The actress spent time at the event with on-screen daughter Lauren Graham, who was among the special performers taking part in the evening’s tribute.
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Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop in March at 2025 PaleyFest LA
Graham shared an Instagram post on Tuesday, July 29, talking about the special moment she shared with Bishop.
“It was beyond thrilling to get to introduce Ms. Kelly Bishop at the 50th Anniversary of A Chorus Line at the @shubertorg theater Sunday night,” she wrote.
“The performances were incredible, magical, inspiring! Also, this photo of us is wack because in real life Kelly is about 1/16 my size. xL”
A Chorus Line debuted at The Public Theater in 1975 before transferring to Broadway, where it became an instant sensation. The original production ran for a then-record-breaking 6,137 performances over 15 years, becoming the longest-running show in Broadway history at the time.
It won nine Tonys, including Best Musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A 1985 film adaptation and a 2006 Broadway revival helped cement the show as a landmark of American musical theater.
In the years that followed, Bishop continued to work across televison and film, playing memorable women including Jennifer Grey’s mother in 1987’s Dirty Dancing before landing the role as Emily Gilmore, which she portrayed throughout the show’s 2000 to 2007 run and the 2016 Netflix reboot of the series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Speaking with PEOPLE in 2024 about her memoir, The Third Gilmore Girl, Bishop talked about her character’s changed trajectory after the death of Edward Herrmann, who played her husband, Richard Gilmore.
“Because Ed died, it changed my whole story. I think if he was with it, and had been during that reboot as they called it, we probably would’ve just been keeping on with some variation of the life that we’ve had. Because of the fact that he was no longer with us, that changed my character’s entire trajectory, everything about her,” Bishop shared.
“Actually, the storyline for Emily and those four extra episodes was probably one of the most interesting ones because she had so much to go through.”
Bishop and Herrmann, who played Emily’s husband Richard on the show, had actually met years before Gilmore Girls began shooting. The two actors both won Tony Awards on the same night in 1976 — Bishop for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in A Chorus Line and Herrmann for Best Featured Actor in a Play in Mrs. Warren’s Profession.
“It’s all kind of serendipity when I look at that picture of the Tony night, and there we are, standing together, didn’t know each other,” Bishop said. “Twenty-some odd years later, we’re working as husband and wife, which is just delightful.”
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