An assortment of dancers on a bare stage may not sound like a promising recipe for a hit musical, but “A Chorus Line” has survived nearly 30 years on its simple premise.

In one of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history, 17 dancers compete for eight parts in the chorus line of an upcoming production. As part of their audition process, the director, Zach, asks the dancers to tell them about their personal lives. Hesitantly, the dancers recount memories of childhood and puberty that range from humorous to tear-jerking.

Brooke Morrison, who plays veteran dancer Sheila in the touring production of the show, said the stories ring true for good reason: they are.

“It’s crazy. Every bit of the show that we do is actually a story that somebody told in a workshop of the show, back in the ’70s,” Morrison said.

A group of New York dancers started telling their stories on tape early in 1974, and by 1975, “A Chorus Line” opened on Broadway. Several of the dancers who contributed to the process appeared in the original production.

By using the true stories of Broadway dancers, the show’s creators — writers James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, director and choreographer Michael Bennett, and composer Marvin Hamlisch — gave performers a voice for the first time in musical theater, Morrison said.

While the musical is especially easy for performers to relate to, Morrison said that “A Chorus Line” strikes a chord in audience members from all walks of life. She said the ultimate message of the musical is never to give up on your passion, whatever it may be.

“It really does move people, and I think it can change lives in a lot of ways,” Morrison said. “It’s definitely moving, every night that I do it.”

“A Chorus Line” will take the stage of the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $32.50 and are available by calling the Carson Center box office at 270-450-4444, or online at thecarsoncenter.org.

Contact Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.

Want to go?

What: “A Chorus Line”

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23

Where: The Carson Center

Tickets start at $32.50 and are available by calling the Carson Center box office at 270-450-4444, or online at thecarsoncenter.org.